Dating Oops
by ShanaHollows
Summary: After saving her from the clutches of evil, Natsu faces a new challenge... dating! You can take the Angel out of Angel of Oops...but Natsu is still left with the Oops!
1. You Rock My Boat

_**A/N: And here it is - as promised! Many of you expressed when Angel of Oops ended that you would have liked to have seen deeper into their dating lives.**_

 _ **This will be a 3-part Anniversary special, outlining the first three days together. If you'll remember, Natsu kissed Lucy on the first day, then didn't kiss her again for 3 days. This is their story...ENJOY!**_

 _ **Please leave a comment at the end!**_

 _ **~Shana~**_

* * *

Natsu entered the precinct, crutching his way up the stairs carefully. Gajeel watched from the doors, making sure that he didn't slip and fall down or anything that would be so very Natsu.

"You didn't come home til this morning," he chastised.

Natsu blushed, "I stayed out almost all night with Lucy."

He didn't see the crowd behind Gajeel until they all started hooting and hollering.

"Our little Natsu's growing up!" Macao exclaimed, holding his hands over his heart.

Natsu blushed, nodding thankfully when Gajeel opened the door for him.

"Okay! Back to work, slackers!" Sting ordered.

The officers grumbled, dissipating back to their respective posts.

Sting turned to Natsu, observing the bandaged knee, "Whatdja do to your knee?"

Natsu blushed again.

"He met a girl," Gajeel announced, "My girlfriend's roommate."

Sting and Rogue exchanged glances, clearly happy about this tidbit of information.

"And how did that happen?" Rogue asked.

Natsu followed Gajeel, Rogue and Sting into the coffee room. He heaved a sigh as he relaxed into a plushy chair, glad to be off his feet.

"I pushed her out of the way of an oncoming car," he told them, "My knee is sprained…the doctor said I can't work for a few days."

He pulled back the bandage, revealing the swollen, dark purple mess underneath. It was scraped all to hell. Both Sting and Rogue reeled back.

"Damn! Looks like it hurts!" Rogue remarked.

Natsu nodded, handing Sting a note from the doctor.

Sting glanced at the note, tucking it into his pocket almost immediately, "No problem, Natsu. We'll work around you for a few days."

"Great!" Natsu exclaimed, standing to his feet again, "Then I've got a date in half an hour! _Seeya!"_

"HOLD ON!" Sting yelled, pointing to the chair, "You can't go until we have full details!"

Natsu froze, "Say what?"

"I need the report of what happened," Sting insisted, "Full details."

Natsu cocked his head, "A car came barrelling toward a sidewalk. I realized a girl was crossing and –"

"Not that!" Rogue interjected, "Tell us about the girl – or we'll make you stay here and process paperwork!"

Natsu flushed again, but he sat back into the seat, "Since when did the three of you become gossipy women?"

"What's her name?" Sting demanded, ignoring Natsu's statement.

"What happened after you saved her from the car?" Rogue asked.

"What's her cup size?" Droy's voice rang out from the hallway. Gales of laughter came from the hallway, indicating pretty much _no one_ had returned to work as ordered by Sting.

"Mind your own damn business!" Rogue shouted, crossing the room to shut the door to the coffee room. He turned to Natsu, "But for the record, we want to know that too."

Rogue, Sting and Gajeel all stared expectantly at Natsu, leaning forward in their seats as they anticipated his answers.

Natsu was quiet for a long moment, fiddling with his own fingers.

"C'MON MAN! WE NEED DETAILS!" Gajeel urged.

"Her name is Lucy," Natsu said quietly, "And after I pushed her and her dog out of the way of the car, she realized I'd gotten injured…so she took me up to her apartment."

"Wow you work fast!" Sting exclaimed with a suggestive smirk.

Natsu shot him a glare, "She doctored up my injuries...and then we went to the Pharmacy to get some crutches."

"That's it? A girl takes you to her apartment and nothing happened?" Rogue demanded.

Natsu went quiet again, turning a few shades of red.

"Spill!" Sting leaned forward even closer.

"I asked her if I could kiss her before we left the apartment…and it was single most amazing moment of my life," Natsu muttered, "Then after we went to the Pharmacy, we just talked…all night."

"Did you kiss her again?" Rogue asked.

Natsu shook his head, "It didn't seem right. I mean…I _wanted_ to…and it totally _felt_ right…but I've only known her for a few hours. I was shocked I had the nerve to do it the first time…but she's so _different_ from anyone I've met before. It's like we were meant to meet. She's gorgeous. Blonde hair, chocolate-brown eyes…I had to know why I was drawn to her like I was…every fibre of my being was entranced with her…and that 2 second kiss was the most intense kiss I've ever had. Like ever."

The three men were wide-eyed, hanging on his every word, although Gajeel had an air of smugness about him.

They exchanged knowing glances, noting the far-off look in Natsu's eyes as he withdrew into his own little babbling world. All of them were really happy to hear that it had finally happened…the fated meeting of Natsu the human and Lucy. It was true…they were destined to be together and all their sacrifices would be worth the lifetime of happiness they were guaranteed to have together.

"But you didn't have the balls to kiss her again," Gajeel shook his head, unable to resist teasing his friend, "You are so lame."

"Screw you, jerk!" Natsu yelled, "I'm trying to be a gentleman!"

"You can still be gentle with her!" Gajeel snapped, "It doesn't _have_ to be rough!"

Natsu threw a nearby plate at him, sending Gajeel into a fitful laugh when it broke on the wall behind his head.

"Anyway," Natsu announced, snapping out of his stupor, "We made plans to hang out again today….so if you'll excuse me…"

Natsu made a move to get up, hindered by the fact that his crutches wouldn't cooperate.

"I won't wait up tonight!" Gajeel called out.

"Shut the hell up!" Natsu warned, throwing a nearby book at Gajeel's head, "I fully intend to take it slow. I don't want to mess this up with her. So I'll be home. At a _decent hour_!"

Sting and Rogue hit the ground, rolling in their laughter as Gajeel fended off the unexpected attack.

Natsu's face was beet red, partially from embarrassment. He crutched toward the door.

"Look," Sting sat up, still trying to shake off his fit of laughter, "Natsu…you like this girl, but you've known her for what…12 hours?"

Natsu glanced down at his hand, nodding.

"So why hurry?" Rogue asked, "Don't let Gajeel get to you. Seriously – it's not like you're Sting and you're going to sleep with her the first night!"

Sting whacked Rogue on the shoulder, growling at him, " _For the record_ , I've known Yuki for years. Just because we slept together the first night doesn't mean there's not grounding for a relationship! This coming from the man who's already living with his girlfriend!"

"We're not sleeping together! Well, not yet anyway. _My point is_ ," Rogue reiterated, "You don't _have_ to kiss her again. Just enjoy your date. Relax around her and see if things go as well as they did yesterday."

Natsu nodded, thankful that at least one of his friends could be level-headed about things.

"Of course, if she's willing, there's really no harm in going for it," Rogue finished his thought, making both of the other men burst out laughing.

"Oh yes!" Sting sighed dramatically over Gajeel's snickering, "Listen to Mr. Morals over there."

Natsu's ears burned as he left the room scowling. The guys were no help. No help at all.

* * *

Lucy smoothed out her skirt again, glancing in the mirror to see if perhaps _this_ outfit was 'the one'.

"You look amazing," Levy said softly, straightening Lucy's pink hoodie for her.

Lucy clapped her hands excitedly, "Levy, I'm sorry again for causing you so much trouble. I really should have listened to you. Natsu is incredible."

Levy's eyes filled with genuine tears, "I am so happy for you, Lu. Really…I hope you have a fantastic time today."

Lucy sighed happily. She had gone over every detail of the meeting with Levy when she returned home in the morning. Despite being on crutches, Natsu had insisted on walking her right up to the door of her apartment. She had been sure he'd try to kiss her again, but he didn't. He simply told her he wanted to see her again as soon as possible. They made a date for later that day, giving both of them time to sleep and Natsu time to let work know that he couldn't come back for a few days…a strict, but suddenly very convenient order from his doctor.

And now, Lucy realized as she noticed the time, she had to hurry or she'd be late!

Levy watched the door close behind her, fighting the urge to go invisible or flit into the shadows after her to watch them. Her intervention hadn't helped matters before. Natsu and Lucy had needed to come together on their own.

She should definitely not follow Lucy.

Definitely not.

Levy glanced at her shoes, sitting patiently, lonely even, by the door.

 _Absolutely not._

Levy inched a bit closer, eyeing the shoes as though they'd have an opinion on what she was about to do.

Erza appeared beside her, wiping her own tear from her eye. Levy jumped 3 feet high.

 _Busted._

"It's finally happening," Erza sighed contently, blocking Levy's path to her shoes. Levy frowned, unsure of whether Erza had done that purposefully or not, "Our little Natsu has a date with fate! Lucy looked so cute! He won't be able to resist her!"

Levy nodded her agreement happily, forgetting her plan to follow them…for now.

"She gave me all the details!" Levy exclaimed, prompting a wayward look from Erza.

"You will…share the details, won't you?" Erza asked, an eyebrow raised.

Erza headed to the fridge for the strawberry shortcake she knew she'd seen in there yesterday, her eyes never leaving Levy's.

"Don't worry…I'll tell you," Levy promised.

Erza grinned, solidifying their agreement to share everything they knew by reaching for a second fork.

* * *

He was already at the park, staring at the kids who slid down the slide, their arms over their heads as they squealed with laughter.

"Oh, to be a kid again!" Lucy grinned as she approached him.

Natsu turned, instantly feeling the magnetic attraction to her again. Her long blonde hair was swept up into pigtails, bangs framing her face. She wore a simple jean skirt with a pink zip-up hoodie, a soft white tank top underneath with a pair of platform heels on her feet.

They stared at each other until Natsu reached for her hand.

"Hi," he said simply.

She blushed, making them both giggle, as she slipped her fingers into his.

"Hi," she replied.

They walked/crutched in silence for a moment, aiming for a nearby bench so Natsu could get off his knee.

"So…what did the doctor say?" she asked, sitting down beside him. She scooted closer...so that they were touching.

"Sprained," he cocked his head to her, "You called it. I'm off work for a few days…which is probably good. I didn't sleep much."

"Me neither," she admitted, "I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday."

"Should we pick up where we left off?" Natsu asked, a light in his eyes.

"I think '20 questions' has turned into more like '100 questions' at this point!" she giggled before nodding affirmatively, "You go first."

"Favourite dessert!" Natsu declared, "I'll eat anything sweet."

Lucy laughed, "I admit…I'm partial to strawberry parfait or milkshakes. I…made a strawberry shortcake yesterday. It's in my fridge if you want to try some later."

Natsu tried not to let his face flush. He definitely wanted to go back to her apartment…cake or no cake.

He threw an arm around her, excitement coursing through his veins as she leaned into his side to relax. It was so natural…he loved the way their bodies curved into each other.

"My turn," Lucy announced, "Favourite childhood memory."

Natsu smiled, feeling a pang of sorrow as he remembered one particular time, "I was about 4. My mom and dad took me to the mall and I wasn't paying attention to them. The next thing I knew, I was totally alone. I had a great time. I found the bikes in the toy department and took one for a spin between hardware and textiles. But my parents were frantic…couldn't find me for about 15 to 20 minutes."

"Why is that a favourite memory?" Lucy asked.

"Because after I was found and given supreme hell for my stunt," Natsu sighed, "They took me home and cuddled me for the rest of the night. I don't remember ever being so happy. Something about being cuddled and loved is just _special._ "

Lucy nodded, appreciating the sentimentality of it, and she squeezed her arm involuntarily around him. He flushed again, squeezing her back. The feeling was back again- the one that told him this was 'it'…she was his special someone.

"Your turn," Natsu stated.

Lucy thought back, searching through a myriad of not-so-nice memories to look for a good one. She and Natsu had discussed her past the previous night, so he knew this might not be so easy for her. He squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"Stargazing," Lucy said decidedly, "My mother woke me up one night…late spring, after the last of the rain…and said she wanted to take me somewhere. We went to a field with a blanket and a few bottles of water, laid on our backs, and watched the stars for hours. She told me all about the constellations…how the stars above are souls of Heaven. It's a wonderful thought, right? That Heaven sends souls to the stars when they retire?"

He watched her face as she sighed contentedly.

"My mother died not long after that," Lucy continued, "But I will never forget what she told me. It's where I draw my hope. I'd like to think her star is up there, watching over me."

Natsu squeezed her hand again, drawn in by the expression in her eyes. He wanted her to love _him_ that much…he wanted her to wear that happy expression because of _him._ He shook his head, feeling rather silly considering he'd known her for all of twelve hours.

"Do you want to go do something fun?" he asked, maneuvering so that he could reach his crutches.

She turned, the light in her eyes stabbing his need to please her even more, "What do you have in mind? Nothing that will jar your knee!"

He shook his head, "I have an idea...no knee jarring involved."

She nodded, standing to set his crutches up for him. He took them from her gratefully, locking eyes with her. The chocolate colour of her eyes drew him in, making his heart beat faster. She was so pretty.

* * *

10 minutes later, they had pulled up to a harbour. Lucy had protested Natsu's driving, but it was the left knee that was twisted. It was completely fine for him to drive his automatic red Cavalier with his right leg.

She waited for him to untangle himself from the driver's seat, going to the back to retrieve his crutches and have them ready for him.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, taking in the pretty scenery.

"Let's rent a rowboat!" he suggested, his eyes alight.

She nodded, waiting for him as they approached the dock master. He presented them with a small dory. Lucy got into the boat first, reaching for his crutches, which he passed to her with a grin on his face. Getting into the boat wasn't exactly easy. Finally, he sat on the edge of the dock and transferred himself awkwardly, falling face first into the boat. The dock master raised his eyebrows, but didn't offer to help. Natsu righted himself, sitting on the middle bench so he could face Lucy. He grinned, taking the oars from the dock master before he walked away whistling.

"Are you sure about this?" Lucy asked, watching him adjust his knee to a comfortable position.

"Nothing wrong with my arms!" Natsu exclaimed, pushing off the dock.

He started to row, his pectoral and biceps bulging as he began to stroke them through the water. He was wearing a muscle shirt, giving her the best view of his upper body muscle groups.

"Nope," she dead-panned, "Nothing wrong with your arms _at all_."

Lucy tried not to stare, instead trying to focus on his eyes. They were greenish in colour today. They were clear, bright, and filled with contentment as he returned her gaze. His eyes bore into her, searching for all the secrets behind them. Honestly, she could feel herself getting lost…

"It's your turn," she said finally, breaking her stare. She watched the coastline as he took them out of the harbour. She knew there was a little cove around the next bend, "Your question."

He smiled, noting the blush in her cheeks, "Boyfriends…have you had a lot of them?"

She tried not to choke. That was an odd question to be asking on their first date. First? Or would it be counted as second? She wanted to be upfront with him. He had always, in their short thirteen hours of history, been completely honest with her.

"I've had one," she told him, "The man I just escaped from…remember last night we talked about how that whole fiasco a couple of weeks ago on TV was all about me?"

He caught her eye again, growling as he recanted in his head the story she'd told him…the obsessive ex-boyfriend and his brother that were trying to capture Lucy and her friend for years on end. He felt jealously boil to the surface…and relief that he was now out of her life.

"He's going to jail," Natsu muttered, more to himself than her, "He can never hurt you again. And so help me Mavis if he tries."

She gawked at him, surprised to hear him make such a bold statement. They both blushed, then she nodded, gesturing to him that he needed to answer the same question.

Natsu cocked his head, thinking about it.

"I had a couple girlfriends. One of them was semi-serious," he told her, straining his memory to think of her name, "It was so long ago, I don't even remember her name."

She giggled, "Can't have been that long ago! What are you…22, 23?"

"24!" he cried out defensively, "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Neither of those relationships worked out."

"When's your birthday?" she asked, her eyes alight with amusement.

Natsu paused again, having to think about it for a moment. She found that odd, but he was so funny, scrunching his eyes as he thought, she didn't dwell on it, instead bursting out laughing.

"November 30th!" he said finally, grinning ear-to-ear.

"I can see that," her eyes twinkled as she leaned forward, looking past him to see the cove that was now coming into view, "You're a Sagittarius…laid back…optimistic…great sense of humour."

"And what about you?" he challenged.

"July 1st!" she replied immediately, "That makes me loyal…and tender-hearted…and when I love…"

He was staring at her again, pausing his movements as he watched her. She gulped as the oars came into the boat and he patted the seat beside him. She shifted, rocking the boat slightly as she transferred to the centre seat. His arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her in for a hug.

"…I love very deeply," she whispered. She paused, their lips less than an inch apart as he stroked the bangs out of her eyes.

"You know it's funny," Natsu said, "I still feel it. All of the attraction I felt from yesterday."

"Me too," she squeaked out, her eyes darting from his eyes to his mouth.

Their foreheads were together. She was sitting so close, if she was any closer, he'd be pulling her onto his lap. Both of them felt the pull of wanting they'd felt yesterday.

"Lucy," Natsu moved his hand behind her head, tilting it slightly.

Lucy closed her eyes, parting her lips.

Natsu's other hand moved from her back. It was an _attempt_ to bring it up to cup her face, but in his haste, he knocked one of the oars over the side of the boat.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed, as she jumped back in surprise.

Lucy started to laugh.

"I'll get it!" he promised, grabbing for the other oar.

Lucy scooted back to the end of the boat so she'd be out of his way as he maneuvered the remaining oar to work for him as a reaching pole. He put too much weight on his knee, crying out as he inadvertently dropped the other oar in his attempt to quell the bolt of pain careening through his body. The boat rocked and Lucy squealed as the oar started floating past her. She turned, benching her knees as she reached for it.

"I'm okay!" Natsu announced, hissing out the last of his pain as he fought for balance. He was queasy…why did he think boating was a good idea? He _knew_ he'd probably get motion sickness!

Lucy was reaching for the oar with her fingertips, bent so that her ass was pretty much in his face. His eyes widened, gawking at the shape of it as he forced himself to resist the urge to grab it. She managed to grab hold of the oar, picking it out of the water. She turned with it, not realizing Natsu had drawn so close to her. The oar connected with the side of his head. He yelped, jumping up. His knee jolted with pain again, rocking their small vessel violently.

…and then the boat capsized.

The water was over their heads. Both began to tread immediately, Natsu swimming for the oar that was nearest him, Lucy swimming to get the one near her.

"My crutches!" Natsu yelped.

Lucy pushed her oar toward him, took a deep breath, and plunged beneath the waves. She spotted both crutches but they were moving in different directions. The tide was going out. Diving frantically, she managed to save one, but the other was swept away…and there was no way she could go after it without being swept out of the cove too.

They met back at the boat, Lucy staying back as Natsu flipped it. Both oars and one crutch safely inside, they each grabbed a side of the boat, pushing it slowly to the shoreline.

"Are you okay?" he demanded as they reached the edge of the shoreline.

He was thankful there weren't sharp rocks. Neither was there sand. It was kind of in the middle…smaller rocks. Lucy had to drag the boat ashore mostly on her own. Natsu retrieved his crutch, hobbling after her and cursing his knee to anyone that might bother to listen. He had never felt like more like a heel in his life! Completely useless! He wasn't sure how he was going to be much help in dumping the water out of the boat. He wasn't sure if he could help her get it back out to water deep enough to shove off again once it was empty…let alone get into the boat again.

Lucy made a noise and at first, he couldn't tell what it was. He limped over to her, using the one crutch to support him. It was awkward and he almost fell again…but that the was least of his issues.

"Luce!" he exclaimed, "Please don't cry!"

He whirled her around, pressing her face down into his shoulder. Her body was shaking as the noise got louder. Natsu pulled her back to examine her face, suddenly realizing…she was _laughing_.

"It's not that funny," he stated. His knee was killing him.

"Oh c'mon!" she snickered, "It's a _little_ funny!

He regarded, sopping wet from head to toe. Her pig tails had flopped, sticking to her wet body as she laughed. Just barely, he could see beneath the lowered zipper of her pink hoodie that her white tank top outlined the curve of her….

"C'mon!" she interrupted his thoughts, grabbing one arm so she could support him to solid ground, "Let's get you off that leg."

He leaned into her as she helped him to a nearby log.

She looked at the boat, humming to herself as she dragged it up a little further up the rocks so it couldn't float away.

"It's not going to be easy to get all that water out," she surmised, "I don't think I can turn it on my own without damaging it."

"I can't even help you," he muttered glumly.

She grinned at him, "No matter! I'll figure something out! We need to dry out a little bit too."

He pulled some matches from his pocket, "Waterproof matches…never leave home without them."

Her face beamed, "You're a freaking genius!"

"Not that much of a genius," Natsu sighed, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. Water poured down from it, "We can't call for help."

Lucy grinned as she went straight to work, gathering drier twigs from the edge of the coastline. Natsu busied himself by creating a small ring of stones to contain whatever blaze they managed to create.

Their cove was largely secluded, the forest coming almost right to the water's edge. She brought back a small supply of wood. Natsu shifted himself to the ground so he could arrange the pile into something that could start a small campfire.

"Cheer up," she said softly, noting his forlorn look.

"This is not how I wanted our first date to go," he answered, pouting slightly.

She bent down, pecking the top of his head with her lips, "Look at it like it's our first adventure together!"

He grabbed her wrists, holding her in that position.

She paused, noting how close they were. As he lifted his lips to kiss her, she closed her eyes again. She felt the rush of adrenaline, realizing how much she wanted this kiss. His hand came up to her hair, smoothing it out of her eyes….

She sneezed, right in his face.

"Mavis!" she exclaimed in horror, "I'm so sorry!"

He chuckled, wiping the residue off his face. He noted her shivering slightly, "You're freezing cold. Maybe we should have a bigger fire…we need to get dry."

She nodded, flushing her embarrassment, "I'll get some bigger pieces of wood."

* * *

"Something is wrong!" Levy insisted, slamming her hands down on the table in front of Gajeel.

Gajeel and Gray stared at her blankly. Juvia sat in the chair next to Levy's, her brows furrowed.

"They've only been gone a couple hours," Juvia reminded Levy, "We promised we wouldn't intervene again. Don't you think we should give them a little more time?"

Levy shook her head, "I _feel_ it. Something is wrong and we _need to go look for them_!"

Gajeel reached for her hand, squeezing it lightly, "Shrimp…ya know I love you…but when it comes to Lucy, you tend to be a bit…overprotective."

Levy's eyes widened as she glanced to Gray for support, "I'm her Guardian!"

Gray shrugged, "Sorry, Lev…he's kinda right."

Levy's mouth dropped open in shock.

"If it makes you feel better," Jellal interrupted when Levy's face went as red as an exploding thermometer, "I'll go take a look around town."

Levy nodded thankfully, not even sure when Jellal had joined them. She turned back to Gajeel, casting him the evil eye.

"Okay, _fine!"_ he relented, "I'll go look too. Better be fuckin' worth it."

* * *

Lucy sat in the boat, bailing wildly with her hands. She was completely absorbed in her work, leaving a pitiful Natsu, still sitting forlornly on his log.

He cursed his knee for the 1000th time, feeling completely useless. He had managed to get the fire started, but it wasn't big enough to do much. Lucy had promised to go get more wood…she just wanted to see if she could empty the boat first. He had never felt so helpless in his life.

He grabbed his crutch, joining her at the side of the boat. He removed his shoe, digging in to help too. She glanced at him, smiling slightly as they both went to work.

"You know your shoe is full of holes, right?" she asked, "You're not accomplishing much."

He nodded, returning the smile.

"They ripped on the rocks, I think. I'm just trying to find ways to do my part," he remarked, noting her hands weren't moving much water either, "I'm feeling a bit useless."

"You're not useless," she said softly, covering his hand with hers, "And it's my fault your knee is injured in the first place. We'll be fine."

"I don't think we're going anywhere in this boat though," he remarked, noting how little progress they'd made.

She sighed, halting her activity, "It's hopeless, isn't it?"

He watched her as she stood, glancing back at the fire. She was considering their options.

"My cell phone is toast too," she murmured, "We can't call for help. We also can't bail out the boat because we don't have the tools to bail effectively. We can't dump it out because it's too heavy for me on my own and your knee isn't doing so well. Our clothes are sopping wet…"

Natsu felt worse by the moment as she summarized their situation.

"So," she said, her eyes lighting up, "I'll walk out and get help!"

He shook his head adamantly, "No way! It's too far!"

"Magnolia can't be that far," she argued, "The cove is literally around the corner from the main harbour. It stands to reason that if I walk west, I'll run into Magnolia!"

"No way!" he crossed his arms stubbornly, "It took us 20 minutes following the coastline to get here. It'll get dark within an hour or two and there's _no way_ I'm letting you go into those woods alone!"

"Well, we have to do _something_ ," she sighed.

He glanced back at the fire, "Let's make the fire bigger."

She followed his gaze, nodding slowly.

"We need to dry off," he told her, "And although I'm sure Gajeel and the guys will never let me live it down for the rest of eternity, it's a good flag signal. Sooner or later, someone will realize we're missing."

She nodded, breaking for the beach again. He hobbled behind her, grabbing a large piece of driftwood on his way past. He used it as a second crutch, glad to finally have contributed an idea.

* * *

"Levy's gonna have a hay day with this," Gajeel muttered as he and Jellal met at the rooftop of the Magnolia Police Department, "She was right…they're nowhere."

"They have to be _somewhere_ ," Jellal replied with frustration. He'd called the rest of Crime Sorciere out. The more eyes looking, the better, "Magnolia is only so big."

"Natsu's trying to impress her," Gray said, pacing back and forth, "So he'll take her somewhere they can either have fun, or be alone."

"We've checked the movie theatre and the aquarium," Juvia reported, "And just about every other public place we could think of."

"Then we'll have to keep trying," Erza said in a low voice, "There's got to be something we haven't thought about."

* * *

Lucy was blushing as she reached to the bottom of her tank top, heaving the wet garment over her head. She reached down to her shorts, undoing the button slowly.

Natsu's back was turned as he removed his own shirt.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lucy asked, turning to him. His back muscles flexed as he kicked his shorts off, "I don't usually undress on the first date."

He chuckled, "We don't have much choice. We're completely soaked. Can I turn around?"

She blushed again, gathering his discarded clothes. They had stuck the oars upright in the ground, amongst other long sticks Lucy had found. She hung her clothes, then his next to the roaring bonfire.

She looked down at her lacy pink bra and panties. If she'd known she'd be semi-naked in front of him, she might have gone for the black matching set instead. Still, she decided, he shouldn't be disappointed.

 _She_ certainly wasn't. She could only see his broad back, riddled with muscles, and the back of his black boxer briefs, but it was enough for her to fully appreciate just how handsome he was. Natsu Dragneel was the whole package: sexy, funny, and intelligent. She thanked her mother in the stars briefly, then took a deep breath.

"It's okay, Natsu," she said softly, noting his downcast look, "You can turn around."

He turned, resisting the urge to ogle her. He kept his eyes glued to the ground as he crutched his way back to the log. Lucy decided then that the front view of Natsu was just as impressive as the back view. She sat beside him, trying not to let her eyes drift over to him.

 _Impossible._

Lucy loved Natsu's body. He was really muscular…and she found his tousled pink hair unbelievably sexy…not to mention his bare chest…and sculpted legs…

"Hey," she patted his hand, "It's okay to look at me."

"I'm afraid to do that," he admitted, "I'm not 'that guy'. I don't want to rush things. I really like you…and I'm pretty bummed that this date has not gone as planned."

"I told you before," she scolded him, "It's our first adventure…and it's not so bad, right? It's not like we'll be stuck here forever."

Natsu's stomach growled, making Lucy giggle and Natsu go red with embarrassment.

"However, we _might_ be stuck here long enough that we'll need to eat!"

She stood up, scanning the treeline, "Maybe there's some mushrooms or something."

"You can't go far!" he reminded her.

She nodded, squeezing his hand.

He finally looked at her as she advanced toward the forest, once again struck by her perfect ass. He could see the back of her bra and her matching panties as she sauntered with determination into the forest. He had never met anyone like her before. The exterior was easy to look at, yes…but she was sweet…and funny…and one of the kindest people he'd ever met. She was choosing to look at this situation as humorous rather than dire. She refused to give up. And if she refused to be worried, then so would he!

* * *

"The harbour reports that a boat didn't return," Sting told Erik and Jellal as he grabbed his keys off the desk, "Natsu's car was found in the parking lot. According to the harbour master, they were supposed to be back 3 hours ago. He only rented them a dory and it won't be any match for the waves when they pick up. There's supposed to be a storm tonight."

Jellal and Erik exchanged glances, now very worried.

"Gajeel – take the helicopter!" Rogue ordered over the radio, "Sting and I will join Harbour Patrol."

* * *

A few minutes later, Lucy came back with some mushrooms and berries. Natsu glanced at them, wondering if they were safe to eat. A large slug fell off one of the mushrooms. She shrieked as he picked it up, dangling it over his mouth.

"We could cook it first," he suggested at her disgusted look.

She burst out laughing, only sitting down once he'd flung the offensive creature away into a nearby bush.

It was a meager supper, but both Natsu and Lucy found themselves enjoying each other's company as they resumed their 20 questions game.

"Worst mistake ever!" Natsu challenged, "Mine was shooting off a potato gun in the carport with the garage door closed. Man, my dad was so mad! You should've seen the hole!"

He pulled his hands apart, his eyes wide as he indicated the hole was about 2 feet wide. Lucy was laughing so hard, her sides hurt.

"From a potato gun?"

"It was a big potato!" Natsu exclaimed, "Your turn!"

"Toilet paper!" Lucy blurted out, "Over the top, or underneath?"

"There's a difference?" Natsu dead-panned.

Lucy smacked her forehead.

"This is _very important!"_ she stressed, "It's a relationship breaker if you give me the wrong answer!"

He stared at her, noting the gleam in her eye. Noticeable beads of sweat formed along his brow. The pressure was incredible. He really didn't want to give the wrong answer.

"Underneath?" he asked feebly.

She smacked her forehead again, "AAAGGGGHHHH…."

Natsu's face paled.

She burst out laughing again at the horrified expression on his face, smacking his arm, "It's okay! It's the first date…you're still trainable."

He relaxed again, reveling in the sound of her laugh.

"Stupidest thing you ever did!" Natsu challenged.

"Lit the kitchen on fire at the restaurant I worked at!" Lucy replied without hesitation, "Same question!"

Natsu crooked his head, thinking about it, "I've done so much stupid shit, I don't even know where to start!"

Lucy's sides were hurting from laughing so hard, so she chuckled at that remark instead, "More stupid than the potato gun?!"

He nodded solemnly, "Too much to count."

"You have to name one!" Lucy demanded, her finger in his face.

Natsu thought hard, going through his memories for a 'stupid thing' that would make Lucy laugh. He watched her expectant face, begging for a funny tidbit of his life. Mavis, he'd never met a woman like her before. Only having known her for less than a day was irrelevant. Natsu was sure. She was the one he wanted to spend his entire life with.

"My stupidest moment," he said softly, taking both her hands and gazing deeply into her eyes, "was not listening to Gajeel when he told me that I needed to meet Levy's roommate."

Lucy stilled, her heart thumping.

"If I'd listened the first time," Natsu continued, squeezing her hands gently, "this wouldn't be our _first_ date…and I wouldn't be terrified that you'll never want to see me again after this."

"Natsu…" Lucy whispered.

They'd all but forgotten they were in their underwear until now. Lucy let go of his hands, running her fingers down his biceps lightly. He closed his eyes, relishing in the tingles her touch provoked in his body as he skimmed his hands down her back.

He leaned in to kiss her for the third time that day, resting one hand on her naked thigh, the other poised behind her back. Lucy leaned in, waiting to accept the kiss.

The sky above them darkened exponentially. He glanced upward, realizing a storm was coming in. He sighed, placing his forehead on hers again as a crack of lightning lit up the sky. The thunder roared right behind it, indicating the storm was directly above them.

"And here comes the rain," Natsu muttered.

Sure enough, a wall of rain exploded overtop of them.

"Of course," he groaned.

Lucy reeled back, crying out as the water doused part of the flames on their bonfire, sending up vast plumes of smoke that threatened to choke them both.

"The treeline!" Natsu yelled, grabbing his crutch.

She became his other crutch, both of them moving backward to the treeline.

"Our clothes," Lucy muttered forlornly.

The fire was seemingly fighting to stay alive, still giving off vast amounts of smoke.

Natsu sighed, glancing upward. It was getting so dark, he could barely see anything...but he could hear something.

* * *

"Oh, this is rich," Gajeel cackled over the cell phone to the rest of the searching Angels. He was in the police helicopter. The pilot had already warned him they'd have to turn back. The rain was too heavy and the lightning and thunder were getting more serious by the moment. It was a stroke of luck that Gajeel had spotted them when he did, "I've found them. Their boat looks like it's been capsized about 10 km along the shoreline."

" _Why is that 'rich'_?" Gray asked from the other side of the phone line, waiting for the punchline he knew was coming.

Gajeel cackled again as the pilot relayed Natsu and Lucy's coordinates to rescue crews. They could not be rescued by helicopter. A boat would have to come.

"Hang on," Gajeel told Gray as he took out his cellphone. He was really glad he'd had it upgraded not long ago…the camera on it was incredible and would take great pictures, even in this dark and stormy weather, "I think the best way to explain it is to take pictures…lots and lotsa pictures!"

* * *

 _ **And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the first installment! See you in 2 days with the next one! Thanks again to Wordsaremyspells1331 and OtakuPrincess28 - you guys rock!**_

 ** _~Shana~_**


	2. Somethin' Squirrely

_**A/N: Day 2! YAY! Hope you enjoyed yesterday's little peak in Natsu and Lucy's first date! Please remember to leave a comment...it only gets more interesting from here!**_

* * *

Natsu huffed, readjusting his bathrobe and crutches as he glared at Gajeel with venom in his eyes. A picture was displayed on the TV – of him and Lucy curled up practically naked together by a roaring bonfire as a wall of rain drenched them both. Gajeel was casting it from his phone for all to see. The image was dark, but the two bodies were quite visibly clinging to each other, freezing cold.

"You couldn't resist, could you?" Natsu demanded angrily, noting the half-dozen officers that were sitting on their living room floor, laughing their heads off.

"Gihehe!" Gajeel chuckled, "Look at it this way…you only have to recap the story once."

Natsu shook his head, turning to crutch back to his bedroom.

"Oh, c'mon!" Rogue called after him, "We were worried about you! We just want to know what happened!"

"Bullshit!" Natsu called back.

"It's the truth!" Sting interjected, throwing his hands up in mock dejection, "Our very souls were shaking with worry! We care _very_ deeply about your welfare!"

Both men, Gajeel, and the other officers from the living room, briefly identified as Jet, Droy, Wakaba, Macao, and Gildarts, followed Natsu, bumping into each other at the doorway of his room. Natsu was trying to slam the door, but was losing his balance because of his knee. Gajeel stuck a hand between the door and the jam, preventing the door from closing at all.

Not wanting to jar his knee again, Natsu finally gave up, throwing himself on the bed. He pulled the covers over his head. Maybe they'd go away if he ignored them.

He felt the poking in his side…subtly at first. Yeah right…subtle like a fucking car wreck. He tried to ignore it, heaving out an involuntary sigh of frustration when he felt poking on his other side too. Then multiple digits start poking his legs. When someone started on his toes, he shot out of bed, grabbed the nearest officer, and started pounding.

It was Droy - screaming wildly for back up as Natsu noogied his head mercilessly, his arm wrapped around his neck.

"Now leave me the hell alone or the big guy gets it!" Natsu yelled. He'd jarred his knee again, but he'd have to worry about that later. He could not afford to show weakness.

"We're not leaving," Gildarts told him, his arms folded on his chest, "Droy is a casualty of war…we want the details."

"Sorry, Droy," Jet quipped, "You will be missed."

Droy let out a strangled cry of alarm.

Natsu glanced from face to face, noting the serious vibes they all pushed onto him. If his knee wasn't wrecked, he could most certainly beat them all…

A jolt of pain shot through him, forcing him to drop Droy and reseat himself onto the bed. Droy scrambled out of the way, letting out of a shriek that was a cross between fright and relief.

"We'll get you ice for your knee," Sting negotiated, "and make sure you're comfy…you can have the Lazy Boy. All you gotta do is talk."

Natsu growled, seriously wishing his looks could kill at that moment.

"Fine," he agreed finally, "But I want the ice crushed…into tiny pieces! No sharp ones! And I get the ottoman with the fat pillow too."

* * *

"So, you're sure you're okay?" Levy asked as she passed Lucy a plate of pancakes and bacon.

Lucy nodded, moving Happy from her lap onto the coffee table, "Yeah. It was a bit embarrassing…but it's fine."

"I can imagine it _was_ embarrassing," Levy sympathized, "Being found…stranded in a secluded cove…mostly naked with a man you've known for less than 24 hours…"

Lucy cast her a stern glare, " _Thank you_ , Levy…I was definitely embarrassed. The captain of the Coast Guard was a damned perv. Natsu had to stand in front of me almost the whole way back to Magnolia before he finally offered me a blanket to cover myself with."

"How was your date otherwise?" Levy asked, trying to change the subject as she sat down next to Lucy.

Lucy sighed, smiling softly, her eyes glazing over, "Natsu is amazing, Lev. He's sweet and determined…and so damn funny I was sure I was going to get a hernia."

Levy grinned, eyeing the corner of the room where she knew Juvia and Erza were watching. She heard Juvia's lovesick sigh audibly.

"He felt inadequate," Lucy continued, the far-off look in her eye intensifying, "He was upset because his knee prevented him from protecting me…he was afraid I wouldn't want to see him again."

"Will you?" Levy asked softly.

Lucy nodded emphatically, "We're going to see each other tonight."

Levy beamed, glad that the botched date hadn't ruined Lucy's outlook.

"Magnolia wasn't more than 10 minutes away," Lucy continued, still in her dream-like state, "I'm pretty sure I could have walked it easily."

"Why didn't you?" Levy queried.

Lucy reached for Happy, stroking his bluish fur with a smile on her face, "I was enjoying Natsu's company."

* * *

Natsu sat in the Lazy Boy chair, heaving out his frustration. The cops had made good on their promise. His leg was propped on a pillowed ottoman under a bag of crushed ice. Someone had even slipped a beer into his hand, despite the fact that it was barely 10:00 in the morning.

However, the 8 faces laughing on his living room floor were, quite frankly, starting to piss him off.

"So…let me…get this straight," Sting said between bouts of laughter, "You…capsized the boat…because you tried to kiss her?"

Natsu's face was red, "Laugh it up, Blondie."

"Aww, dude!" Gildarts exclaimed, "I can teach you how to be a good cop, but maybe Sting should consent to some office time for me to school you in the art of kissing a girl too!"

Natsu huffed, blowing his bangs out of his face, "It could've happened to anyone."

The room grew dead quiet, suppressed snickers escaping the odd person.

"Yeah, no!" Rogue quipped, sending everyone into new gales of howling laughter, "Only you, Salamander…only you!"

"That's not even the worst of it!" Wakaba exclaimed, "He oopsed the second attempt too!"

"It's not my fault it started to rain!" Natsu bellowed.

"You should've seen them!" Rogue was laughing so hard, he could hardly breathe, "The captain of the Coast Guard and I come ashore to rescue these miserable, drowned rats, clinging together practically naked because they're so bloody cold they can't move and the first thing out of Natsu's mouth is, 'Do you have anything to eat'?"

The men keeled over. Natsu's brow furrowed, reaching for his crutches.

"I'm going to take a shower," he muttered, excusing himself.

"And he's known this girl _how_ long?" Jet was asking Macao.

Natsu let out another low growl.

Gajeel had grabbed his guitar, nobody seemingly noticing his sudden change in garb to a white suit and sunglasses with a white hat.

 _Ohhh you don't know why_

 _But you're dying to try_

 _You wanna_

Everyone joined in at the last line.

 _KISS THE GIRL_

Natsu growled, slamming the bathroom door behind him as the men in the living room broke out into the chorus.

The door opened again just as Jet, Droy, and Gildarts were mimicking fish fluttering around the living room.

 _Yeah yeahhhh yeah yeah yeah!_

Natsu chucked Gajeel's underwear at him, the offending garment landing right on his head, "I told you not to leave your underwear on the bathroom floor, you freak!"

The cops started laughing uproariously again.

"And by the way," Natsu snarled, "You screech like a seagull when you sing."

* * *

She wore jeans this time, paired with a tank top and a light jacket…just in case something happened again and she needed to be a little more 'covered'.

He'd asked her before they separated at the docks to choose their activity for the next day…assuming she wanted to see him. He blushed, promising that they wouldn't do anything that could be remotely dangerous and end in misadventure. She remembered his eyes, so concerned that she wouldn't want to meet with him again, then the tinge of red on his cheeks as she assured him that in her own weird way, she'd had a fantastic time. Then she'd squeezed his hand and told him to meet her at the park where they could have a _safe_ picnic together.

"Hi," he said from behind her, smiling as he adjusted his crutches.

She spun around, breaking out into a wide grin, "Hi!"

His gaze fell to the large basket at her feet.

"I've been busy," Lucy told him, "I made you a picnic lunch…so I hope you're hungry."

He nodded enthusiastically, "You have no idea how excited I am for this!"

She grinned, leading him to the corner of the park that she'd selected for them. It was semi-private, surrounded by trees. She had set up a blanket on the ground, but had lawn chairs in case it was easier for him. But his eyes just about popped out of his head when he saw the hammock, stretched between two trees…it was definitely big enough for two.

"You thought of everything," he gasped, giving her a glance he hoped wouldn't be displaying too much love too soon.

She blushed, skimming her fingers down his arm to his fingers, "I've been looking forward to this."

"So…you're not horrified by last night?" he asked slowly as he sank into a lawn chair.

She shook her head, setting the basket down on the blanket, opening it, "I…actually thought the whole thing was our own little adventure. Maybe…we can remember it for years to come. One day, we can look back on it and laugh."

Natsu shifted off the chair so that he could sit beside her on the blanket, stilling her hand with his.

"I really like you, Luce," he said seriously, holding her gaze, "and I find it hard to believe we've only known each other for two days…I feel like I've known you forever."

Lucy pressed her body into his, throwing her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her back, absorbing her presence.

"I really like you too," she whispered into his neck.

He pursed his lips, preparing to go in for the kiss when a smell wafted from Lucy's picnic basket.

"Is that butter chicken?" Natsu whispered in awe.

Lucy grinned, pulling out the rice dish she'd made to go with it.

"Is it possible to fall in love at first sight?" he asked excitedly as she brought out a couple pieces of strawberry shortcake and some Caesar salad.

He blushed as she stilled again, turning to look at him, her lips curved into a smirky smile.

"I'm starting to believe so," she told him after a long moment.

She handed him a plate and some utensils, dishing some chicken onto it.

"What do you believe…about love?" Natsu asked, feeling like a total dipshit. He couldn't stop himself. It was out of his mouth before he knew he was saying it.

What a stupid question. _Smooth, you freaking idiot._

She smiled, "I used to think love was earned over the course of a very long time. In my dream world, a couple should be friends first. After all, if you can't be friends, how can you expect to form a lasting relationship?"

He nodded slowly, noting a fluttering in the trees above them. A bird vacated the tree.

"I always thought it would be romantic that way too," she said softly, spooning some rice for him, "You know…become each other's best friend…then one day realize the feelings between them are so much stronger than friendship."

He nodded again, feeling something go down his neck. He glanced upward, noting a gray squirrel chattering as it ran down the branch. He pulled his hand out from behind his neck, realizing it was just a leaf that had landed there.

"I'm not so sure anymore," Lucy continued, pulling out a vodka cooler and an iced tea. She offered both to him, putting the vodka away when Natsu chose the iced tea.

Natsu stilled, ignoring the rustling still going on overtop of his head, "What do you mean?"

She smiled suggestively, cracking open her own iced tea, "I think maybe my ideals are wrong. I spent a portion of my life running from a man that wanted to shackle me down. Everything I knew about relationships was wrong. So…I think…if I ever had another chance…I'd probably just go for it. No hesitation, no second guessing. Life is too short to wait around."

They locked eyes as Natsu tried his first bite of the butter chicken. His eyes rolled back into his head as he moaned in absolute pleasure.

"If that's a proposal," he said, taking another bite, "Consider me sold. I'll marry you on the spot if you'll cook this every night!"

Lucy giggled, blushing slightly.

* * *

Above them in the trees, Gray shoved back a little squirrel. He was actually quite a large bugger…and he didn't like Gray in his tree.

The Angels had determined that perhaps it would be best if Natsu and Lucy had 'chaperoned' dates for a little while…just to ensure that neither of them would die before the deal was sealed. (That over-dramatic piece of suggestion was brought up by none other than Erza Scarlet).

Gray wasn't even sure why the squirrel could see him, but it was downright offended at Gray's presence. Gray hissed at it, making it reel back for a moment. Then his eyes went wide as the squirrel chirped and jumped at his face. He batted it, sending it downward...straight on top of Lucy's salad.

* * *

Lucy screamed, batting at the squirrel with a loaf of French bread. Natsu grabbed his butter chicken, holding it close to his body for protection.

"Back, foul squirrel!" he yelled, "No butter chicken for you!"

The squirrel screeched at him, then zoomed back up the tree.

Natsu and Lucy exchanged glances, bursting out laughing.

* * *

Gray let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't ruined their date. Of course, Natsu and Lucy were seemingly resilient. Awkward situations didn't tend to bother them much.

He felt the hairs on his neck stand on end, an angry, evil vibe permeating through the air.

He turned, slowly, almost afraid.

Chills ran down his back as he realized the squirrel was back, staring him down directly with psychotic eyes.

* * *

"So, no siblings?" Lucy asked as she heaped more chicken on Natsu's plate.

He shook his head, "Only child. My parents had a son before me…but he died before I was a year old. I don't have any memories of him."

"You have a strange memory," Lucy commented, "Sometimes it seems like you don't remember much about your childhood. You always have to think before you tell a memory."

"I had an accident a couple years ago," he told her, "It was a stupid sports injury when I was playing rugby with a bunch of college buddies. I don't remember everything from my childhood…but I can remember everything that's happened since the accident right down the to smallest detail."

"Interesting!" she surmised, "I'll have to remember that!"

He finished the helping of chicken, eyeing the strawberry shortcake she'd set aside.

"Just like I _remember_ you said you made a whole cake," he teased, "There's only two pieces there!"

"You can have them both," she giggled, "My roommate got into my cake and ate most of it. Sorry about that."

He laughed, "It's fine. I'm teasing you."

He looked back up at the branches above him. A squirrel was chattering noisily.

"He sure is mad about something!" Lucy remarked.

Natsu chuckled, "He probably wants some of your butter chicken. Too bad, squirrel! I ate it all!"

* * *

Gray stared into the squirrel's eyes.

"Shew!" he hissed at it.

The squirrel squawked loudly, throwing an acorn at Gray. It hit his temple. Gray growled, swiping a hand at the squirrel. It jumped to the next branch, grabbing another acorn.

"Oh, it's _on_!" Gray growled, grabbing his own supply of acorns.

* * *

"Best childhood friend…" Natsu sighed, "That would have to be Gajeel."

"Odd, isn't it?" Lucy asked, "Since Levy was mine."

"Small world," Natsu agreed, rubbing his head as an acorn smacked it from above.

They'd cleared away the picnic, agreeing to save their cake for a later time. They were on their backs, staring at the sky. The branch above them jumped periodically and the squirrel was still aggravatingly angry about something, but for most part, Natsu and Lucy were just enjoying being together.

Natsu reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Gajeel was a jerk to me as a kid," he stated.

Lucy giggled again, "Really? That doesn't sound like Gajeel at all."

"I remember one time," Natsu reminisced, "He locked me in my dad's tool shed. He knew my grandmother was coming. She always brought good presents for both of us and he wanted first crack. Then another time, he convinced me to try to dress up like my mother – make up and all – to try to convince my dad that he should take us to the beach for the day. I guess Gajeel thought if the instruction came from her, Dad would have to listen…either that, or he was just trying to humiliate me."

Lucy laughed out loud, squeezing his fingers, "Your dad didn't fall for it?"

Natsu shook his head, "Naw. But he laughed for hours. My mother was pretty upset because we managed to ruin her makeup. We were about 8 then."

Lucy leaned into him, sighing happily, "Levy was my _only_ friend growing up. I can't say we got into a lot of trouble…but she was always there for me. Always."

"She is now too, isn't she?" Natsu asked. He turned on his side so he could look at her.

Lucy nodded, "Best friend I'll ever have."

The branch above them started bouncing. Lucy's eyes went wide as she heard the crack. She screamed, seeing it fall toward them.

Natsu grabbed her by the waist, rolling them both out of the way. The branch landed right where Lucy had been lying.

"Mavis," Lucy exclaimed, her chest heaving, "What just happened?"

Natsu was sprawled on top of her, staring at the branch, then up to the tree where the squirrel was screeching loudly. A barrage of acorns pelted them.

* * *

Gray got off the ground, kicking the branch aside. He glanced up at the squirrel that was beginning to really tick him off. It screeched at him again, chucking another acorn.

"You had _better stop doing that_!" Gray warned, pointing at it with an angry finger, "I need that tree to look out for my friends! Which means _you_ have to go!"

He scrambled up the tree in record time, immediately releasing his limited ice ability to freeze the squirrel where he sat. Gray settled onto a different branch, watching as Lucy pulled the fallen branch out of the way. She suggested she and Natsu go sit in the hammock for a little while – away from the tree that was losing branches and pelting them with random acorns.

He glanced at the frozen squirrel statue, sticking his tongue out at it haughtily.

"I win," he boasted, turning his gaze back to Natsu and Lucy, "You little bastard."

* * *

"How are we going to do this?" Natsu asked.

Lucy had taken his crutches, setting them against the tree. They had decided that the tree was undoubtedly dangerous, opting to try out hammock for a while…or at least until the squirrel had had a chance to chill out.

She steadied the hammock, gesturing with a light in her eyes, "Just roll in. I've got it! I won't let you flip. Just go for it."

He tested the edge of it, glancing back at Lucy for moral support. She grinned as he sat on the edge of it, then looked at her again.

"Lie down and roll into it!" she encouraged him.

Natsu kicked up both feet, lying down on his back. He sighed with great satisfaction.

"This is so awesome, Luce…you gotta try this."

She peered down at his completely relaxed face, laughing as he grabbed her with both arms and pulled her onto him.

She shrieked, struggling as he tickled her sides, then launched a tickle attack of her own. Natsu wasn't as ticklish, so it was easier for him to aim for her sides.

"You're going to break my ribs, you know," she chastised as they settled. Her head was on his chest, despite the fact that there was plenty of room for her to have her own space.

"I barely touched you!" he exclaimed innocently.

"I laugh too hard when I'm around you!" she insisted, "If I break my ribs, it'll be all your fault."

He stroked her hair, wrapping his other arm around her to pull her in snugly.

"Then I'll take care of you," he promised solemnly, "I couldn't possibly live with myself if you were in agony and it was all my fault."

She sighed contentedly, listening to the beat of his heart, "I require a bell…to ring for your services. And 3 meals a day…no Kraft dinner. And my water should be served in a crystal glass! I come from a rich family, you know."

He kissed the top of her forehead, "Yeah…I know."

She paused, lifting her face so she could see his eyes, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Do you...want me to elaborate that I'm aware you're from a rich family? I might not be able to provide you with the lavish life you deserve…but a cop makes a decent…"

"Not that!" she punched him lightly in the arm.

He smiled, running his fingers through her hair. He knew perfectly well what she meant.

"You were going to kiss me yesterday," she reminded him, "I think you tried 3 times."

"It wasn't for lack of trying that it didn't happen," he agreed, shifting his body so that she fell closer to him.

"Would you…like to try again?" Lucy asked innocently.

Natsu flipped them over so that he could access her lips from above. She drew in a deep breath, feeling the shock effects of his body on top of hers. Closing his eyes, he lowered his lips.

The hammock jolted, making both Natsu and Lucy look to the trees for the offending kiss-blocker. Both trees were shaking, sending the hammock into violent convulsions.

"What in the hell?" Natsu yelled, turning a sickly shade of green.

Lucy clung to him, her hair flailing wildly, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME!"

* * *

"I'm not freaking kidding you, Gajeel!" Gray screamed into his phone, "I need backup and I need it now!"

Gray was springing from branch to branch, a dozen tree squirrels in pursuit.

Gajeel was stunned on the other end of the phone, " _You're under attack from what_?"

"Just get here!" Gray screeched. He whirled his body completely around a branch, kicking at the vicious red squirrel at his heel.

Projectile acorns flew from the other tree, narrowing missing Gray as he pivoted, _transporting_ himself at the last second. He appeared in the next tree, throwing an acorn of his own at the red squirrel who had bounded there from the other tree. The squirrel that he'd frozen sat in the first tree, another gray squirrel chattering at it loudly as he knocked the ice with a little fist.

He dove to the ground, barrel-rolling past Natsu and Lucy, who were clinging to each other in the hammock as it bounced wildly from the assault taking place in the trees above.

"I'm here, my love!" Juvia announced, appearing beside him, "Where are the enemies? I'll protect you with my life!"

"Get down, Juves!" he screamed, catching her by the waist. He rolled with her behind a bush, springing up to lead the attacking forces away from her.

"Squirrels?" Juvia said slowly, eyeing the little creatures.

They squawked to each other. Juvia saw cute little animals; Gray saw army generals, planning a coordinated attack.

"Vicious squirrels!" Gray assured her as he scooted up the tree again, "Watch your back!"

Juvia screeched as a squirrel landed in her hair, clawing wildly at her face. She stumbled out of the bush, crashing into the hammock violently before falling in the other direction. Natsu and Lucy both yelped out loud at the impact as one side of the hammock crashed to the ground.

"I haven't mastered any of my abilities yet!" Juvia yelled to Gray, "We need a plan – and fast! We need to find out what's got them so angry!"

Gray was throwing acorns behind him as he flitted through the trees, "These things are cunning, Juvia – _be careful_!"

She nodded, _transporting_ herself to the top of the first tree. She glanced around quickly, searching. She could feel the increasing assault from the gathering squirrels around her, acorns bouncing wildly off her body.

She cocked her head at the little ice statue of a squirrel and wondered briefly if Gray had frozen a real squirrel. He had a little bit of ice ability, but normally he couldn't do much more than make her ice flowers or cubes for his drinks.

Her eyes landed on a hole in the tree, disrupting her thoughts. The barrage of acorn bullets was really starting to hurt - another thing that shocked her since Angels normally didn't feel pain. Also, it shouldn't be possible for the squirrels to see them. She thought back to her Initiation classes, remembering something about how Angels had a special connection with nature. So maybe _humans_ couldn't detect them...but nature - and more specifically squirrels - could?

She peered inside the hole, spotting a nest. At first glance, she counted 7 squirrel babies.

Now she understood.

She dropped to the ground, noting Natsu and Lucy trying to get out of the tangled mess of a hammock. They were trapped, their limbs intertwined with the ropes so badly, they'd likely need scissors to get out.

"My love!" Juvia called out, "Stop fighting the squirrels and _stay out of their trees_!"

Gray flitted to the next branch, "The squirrels from Hell? I can't do that Juvia – they'll take us out first chance they get! We're at war, Juves! It's them or us!"

"Stop!" Juvia ordered, "If you stay to the ground, they'll leave you alone!"

Gray froze, the attacking squirrels all chattering and screeching.

"There's a nest up there," Juvia explained softly.

Gray glanced to where Juvia was pointing, his eyes lighting up as he understood. He lowered his acorns, descending the tree, following her pointed finger with his eyes.

"I'm a real jerk," he muttered.

Juvia hummed to herself, not dispelling his self-realized comment.

"Sorry squirrels!" he called out, reaching out to unfreeze their companion as a gesture of goodwill, "I'll stay out of your tree!"

The squirrels lowered their acorns too, still angrily telling him off in their own language.

* * *

"They've stopped," Lucy commented quietly.

It didn't matter. Natsu and Lucy were deeply tangled within the ropes, unable to free themselves. His body was still on top of hers, but the romantic edge had very much dissipated.

"It's a damned park!" Natsu remarked, "How come we haven't seen anyone here in the past 20 minutes?"

"Like I should know!" she spat back, "What in the hell just happened, anyway?"

Natsu shook his head, "I dunno…but it sounded like a miniature war zone in the trees."

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice cackled.

Natsu groaned, burying his face into Lucy's shoulder, "Why did it have to be him…of all the people in this world… _why him?"_

Gajeel had already been to see Gray. His flustered face told Gajeel that Gray wasn't ready to admit to whatever had happened just then. He raised his studded eyebrows with amusement. The story would come out…but in the meantime, he couldn't let this golden opportunity with Natsu slide.

Gajeel bent down beside the trapped people, humming apathetically, "Do you need some help?"

"I swear, Gajeel…if you breathe a word of this to _ANYONE_!" Natsu threatened.

The flash of Gajeel's camera went off in their faces.

"Can you _please_ help us?" Lucy begged, "Natsu tossed his cookies from the wildest hammock ride on this side of Magnolia…and I really need out of here. Now."

Natsu's face went bright red, "I told you I was sorry about that."

Gajeel stood up, rubbing his chin in contemplation, "I'll think about it, okay? I'm in the mood for an ice cream first."

He sauntered off, cackling loudly.

But not before he'd snapped another photo.

"You were right," Lucy muttered angrily, "He really is a jerk."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** **One of my betas, OtakuPrincess28, is on the run at the moment from Hurricane Irma, hoping she'll have a home to return to.**_

 _ **Just want to take a moment to shout out to all the people who live in Florida right now. I'm in BC, Canada...a long ways away from you, but I'll keep you all in my prayers.**_

* * *

 _ **As always, a thank you to Wordsaremyspells1331 for your editing expertise on this chapter!**_

* * *

 _ **Hopefully this chapter made you chuckle!**_

 _ **Seeya Monday for the final chapter of this instalment.**_

 _ **Please leave a comment! I always love hearing from you!**_

 _ **~Shana~**_


	3. To Paint or not to Paint

"I'm not talking to you," Natsu stated, crutching across the kitchen to grab the Cheerios box out of the cupboard. He poured some in a bowl, letting out a frustrated harrumph when there was less than a cup left.

Gajeel feigned a frown to cover up his smile, watching as Natsu crutched over to the fridge. He pulled out the milk, letting out an annoyed sigh as he realized there were only a few droplets left.

"Seriously?" he yelled as he put the empty jug back in the fridge, "You drank all the milk?"

"Thought you weren't talking to me!" Gajeel taunted.

"I'm not," Natsu grumped, taking his bowl of Cheerios to the couch. It was a delicate balance…crutching with a bowl in his hands, but Gajeel wasn't about to offer to help him. Natsu glared at him as he passed, "So shut up!"

"Did you at least get to kiss her?" Gajeel persisted, grabbing his coffee – with milk – as he sauntered to the living room after Natsu.

Natsu glared at him. Gajeel knew perfectly well the entire date was ruined. As if Lucy would want to kiss him after he'd thrown up. Gajeel was purposely rubbing salt into his wounds.

"Oh c'mon – it wasn't that bad!"

Natsu threw darts at Gajeel through his eyes, "It _wouldn't_ have been that bad if you'd just cut us out…on your own…without calling for backup from the Magnolia Police Department! Why the hell did it take 6 officers to bring a fucking pair of scissors?! _AND HALF OF THEM WEREN'T ON DUTY_!"

Gajeel was suppressing his laughter…and doing a miserable job of it.

"Well, are you gonna see her tonight?" Gajeel pressed.

"No," Natsu growled, spooning his dry cereal.

 _It needed milk._

"She probably thinks I'm a danger to mankind and will avoid me like the plague for the rest of eternity. Thanks for that. We're done. Caput. She doesn't want to see me again…so mind your own business!" Natsu toyed with his cereal, moving the spoon around grumpily.

Gajeel's frown was real this time. Maybe he'd gone too far. For all the teasing Natsu received, he was generally a good sport. This Natsu...he was really upset.

Glancing over to the corner, he could see Gray shaking his head with complete amusement, a smile curved on his lips.

 _Natsu was playing with him…trying to throw him off to the fact that there would be a third date._

"I'll be out with Levy tonight," Gajeel told him, sending him a salty grin, "Don't wait up."

Natsu glared at him again, tossing his half-eaten bowl of dry cereal beside him on the couch as he hauled himself to his feet. Dry cereal sucked.

"Wasn't planning on it, Iron-Breath."

* * *

Levy stared at Lucy, a look of complete and total pity on her face as Lucy finished recounting the events of the night before.

"I can't believe Gajeel called for backup," Levy sighed, "I feel so bad for you and Natsu."

"Oh, they had a hay day with it, alright," Lucy seethed, "Between the constant taunts of, 'hey Natsu – did you at least get to _pet_ her squirrel' and the fact that Gajeel and Rogue were laughing so hard, they could barely cut the ropes enough to get me out of the hammock, I thought Natsu was going to lose it for sure."

"He didn't, did he?" Levy clarified.

Lucy shook her head, "No, but that would be why they cut me out first…and gagged Natsu…and gave him a mild sedative. Once I was freed, most of them took off running, leaving Natsu with the scissors to cut himself out once the muscle relaxant wore off. It took me a half hour to get him out...and then he couldn't move because of the sedation."

Levy shook her head in a cross between sympathy and disbelief, "I will be having strong words with Gajeel tonight."

Lucy waved her hand, "Doesn't matter. It's done now."

"They ruined your picnic!" Levy exclaimed.

"It was…pretty much ruined when Natsu threw up," Lucy dead-panned, "Who knew a hammock could induce motion sickness?"

"Hmm," Levy had to agree…that would put a damper on things.

She was starting to worry. Things weren't going too well.

"I hope that doesn't mean you're giving up on him."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock, "What? No! Of course not! We're going out again tonight."

She narrowed her eyes, leaning into Levy like she was about to divulge a big secret.

"We've got a plan that can't fail tonight," she confided, "It's foolproof! Nothing bad could possibly happen!"

Levy flashed Lucy a smile, hoping inwardly that she was right.

* * *

"I didn't tell the boys I was going out with you tonight," Natsu stated. They were walking down the sidewalk. Lucy's pace was slow to accommodate Natsu's crutches, "So hopefully we'll have no interruptions."

"It doesn't matter," she promised, "I'm not mad about last night."

He sighed, "Are you getting the impression _someone up there_ doesn't want us together?"

She giggled, putting her hand on his hand.

"No…I'm getting the impression that whatever we have must be special," she said softly, "Because we both showed up for the third date, regardless of what happened on the first two."

He smiled, their eyes locking.

"You're really something," he commented, brushing the bangs out of her eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself," she whispered as his lips neared hers.

"Okay!" the instructor called out, "If everyone is ready, we're going to begin!"

"We're late," Lucy huffed, backing away from him, "C'mon…we need to find our seats."

Natsu followed her inside the building, deciding tonight, he would definitely get his kiss. They found seats together along the edge of the wall. Two clean white canvases sat untouched, a palette of acrylic paint on a foam plate in front of them. There was an array of brushes, ready for their use.

"Excuse us," Lucy said politely to the man beside her as she helped Natsu adjust into the chair. She took his crutches, placing them on a nearby wall.

"Welcome to Paint Nite!" the instructor announced, "Tonight, we're going to paint a Snowy Owl!"

Lucy turned to look at the instructor, her face draining of colour.

"What's wrong?" Natsu whispered, seriously concerned about the look on her face.

"It's _him,"_ she groaned, "Of all the people in the world…why did it have to be _him?"_

Natsu glanced at the instructor. The man wore an apron that went down to his knees, his long green hair tied back into a ponytail. Natsu frowned…was he wearing a petticoat?

"That's Freed Justine," Lucy whispered, "He used to be Levy's boss at the library…Class A jerk."

"Nice to see you too, Lucy Heartfilia," Freed spat out from behind them.

Lucy froze, unsure how Freed had crossed the room so quickly. Her breath stuck in her airways.

"Freed," she greeted, trying to send him a friendly smile. It came out as more of a scowl, despite her best efforts.

Freed grunted, turning his eyes to inspect Lucy's companion.

He looked Natsu up and down, giving an appreciative smile to him, "Well, well! Haven't _you_ moved up in the world, Lucy! Did you finally ditch Miss McGarden for this fine...specimen of a man?"

"I wasn't expecting to see you here of all places," Lucy commented, "Aren't you at the library full-time now? You know...since you can't seem to keep employees?"

Freed frowned, biting his lower lip for a moment, "I don't see how that's your concern. However, for the record I have attained new _capable_ employees who are very loyal and actually show up to work. Which frees me up to instruct nights like these."

"You son-of-a -" Lucy began to say, her face flushed with annoyance.

Natsu squeezed her knee, stopping her mid-sentence. He gave Freed a friendly wave, praying that Freed would get the hint and move on, "We're looking forward to painting with you."

Freed zeroed in on Natsu's biceps, licking the corner of his mouth as he sauntered off to begin the class, "Indeed."

Freed held up a canvas with a cute, fluffy owl face on it, calling out his first instructions. Lucy grinned at Natsu, excited at their new venture. Nothing could go wrong tonight, even if Freed _was_ the instructor. They were simply going to paint an owl.

"Those of you who have been to Paint Nite before know the rules," Freed called out, "Rule #1: Have fun! No one is judging you! Rule #2, the instructors are _not_ going to fix your painting, but we _will_ give you advice! You can ask for more paint or whatever you need. Just put your hand up and we'll come to you."

Lucy huffed off her anger. She was here with Natsu and Freed _would not_ ruin her night.

She smiled at Natsu, taking out the wide brush Freed was telling everyone to pick up. First, they had to paint their entire canvas. They were supposed to take a bit of the black and mix it with the white to make a light gray.

Natsu was busily mixing his paint, stealing glances at her as she stroked her brush up and down the canvas. She smiled at him, moving her leg over slightly so that it touched his. Natsu's skin tingled every place their limbs connected.

"Oh…" Lucy frowned, glancing between her painting and Natsu's. Hers was decidedly darker than his.

"It's okay," Natsu told her, whisking his light gray paint over her canvas. In a moment, he had it looking slightly lighter…but honestly, her gray had been very, very dark.

"Thank you," she smiled, squeezing his hand.

He raised their joined hands to his lips, kissing her hand gently.

"You can't hold hands and paint!" Freed snapped, stepping between them haughtily. He clasped Natsu's hand, guiding it back to his paint brush. Lucy's eyes were wide in disbelief.

Natsu and Lucy had to let go of each other, slightly embarrassed as the rest of the class broke out into giggles.

"Try and stop us!" Natsu muttered as Freed stalked away, but he picked up his brush again as he stuck his tongue out at the teacher's back.

"Okay – next we're going to do the wings!" Freed called out, walking away from their corner to pace the rest of the room, "Start with your medium brush and pure white paint, making arced lines from about the mid-canvas down to the bottom."

* * *

In the shadows of the room, Gajeel had Levy by the shoulders, holding her back from giving Freed the beating of a lifetime.

"SHRIMP!" he chastised, "What in the hell are you hoping to prove? You already know he's an ass...don't let him get to you or I'll have to take you home!"

"Why are we all here anyway?" Wendy asked, "Does it really take 7 Angels to look after Natsu and Lucy?"

"Ask Ice-For-Brains," Gajeel scoffed, "We all know what happens if _he's_ in charge of looking after them."

"You wanna come say that to my face?" Gray challenged, balling both fists.

Gajeel growled, "Happily…maybe we should step outside…"

"He's was _flirting_ with Natsu!" Juvia cried out dramatically, drawing both Gray and Gajeel's attention back to the issue at hand, "Lucy has a _love rival!"_

"Don't worry – Natsu's oblivious!" Gray insisted, holding her back as Juvia threw a fist at an unsuspecting Freed, "I seriously doubt Mavis implanted any memories on how to handle male flirtation!"

"Natsu doesn't even know Freed's alive!" Erza stated valiantly, "He only has eyes for Lucy!"

The girls stopped struggling, noting how Natsu doted on Lucy, giving her small pointers on how to make the brush strokes.

"Even so," Erza's eyes narrowed, "It can't hurt to _compel_ him a little."

* * *

Natsu dropped his hand on Lucy's thigh, squeezing her knee. She froze as it traveled slowly up her inner thigh, drawing small circles into her skin.

"I want my kiss tonight," he whispered in her ear, "I don't care if we end up burning down the building."

Her cheeks burned as she nodded enthusiastically. She turned back to her painting, noting her white streaks were much thicker than Natsu's. She needed the distraction to keep from jumping him in front of everyone. The way he stroked her skin had her nerve endings screaming for more.

"I don't think I'm doing it right," she murmured to him.

"And now wash out your brush. Mix the white and blue paint together," Freed called, "You don't want a dark blue – just a nice, light blue."

"You're fine," Natsu encouraged her, examining her painting. He ran his hand back to her knee.

Her white streaks were about twice the width of his. She bent into the painting, concentrating on making the blue lines blend in with the white.

"Maybe your streaks are a little thick," he admitted after a moment of watching her intently, "Here...let me show you."

He pulled back his chair, maneuvering on his good knee until he sat behind her in her chair. He wrapped his arms around her, his hand enclosing over hers and he guided her fingers to turn the brush. She trembled, noting that there was _no space_ between her back and his front. The other hand rested on her thigh, squeezing it gently.

"Just lightly," he murmured in her ear. His hot breath sent tingles down her spine, "You don't want to press too hard…just enough that the canvas absorbs a bit of the paint. If you turn the brush like this, the bristles will skim the surface."

Lucy could barely hear him as heat traveled to her face. She leaned back against him, allowing him to guide her hand as she tried to mimic his movements. He pressed his hard chest into her back, ghosting the back of her neck with his lips. Her feather stroke became very squiggly due to her shaking hand.

"You want to do it slowly," he told her, the seductive tone of his voice making it hard to for Lucy to breathe, "Stroke it slowly. See how the colour is deep, even with gentle strokes?"

Lucy's breaths were coming faster, her hand lowering the brush as she tilted her head backward to catch his eyes.

He complied in her attempt to let go of the brush, placing the newly free hand on her stomach, just below her breasts. The other hand kneaded her inner thigh as their eyes met.

* * *

"What in the hell is _wrong_ with you?" Gray yelled at Erza, "You've got them so hot and heavy, they're not going to wait until they're alone!"

Erza grinned mischievously.

"She's been reading romance novels again," Levy sighed, pressing the heel of her palm into her eye.

"The ones _you_ lent me," Erza pointed an accusing finger at Levy, "detailing the undeniably crudest acts of sex and seduction known to humankind! If anyone is at fault, it's _you_ for giving me ideas _!"_

Wendy's face turned purple.

Jellal turned his head, whistling to himself in the other direction. He was fine with Erza reading erotic novels… _he had no problem with it at all._

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Gajeel grunted, "Here comes Freed again."

Levy and Juvia both glared, moving forward a few steps, ready to intervene if necessary.

* * *

"That's hardly behaviour becoming of a young lady!" Freed yelled at Lucy, noting the intimate position Natsu and Lucy were in.

Natsu huffed, removing himself from Lucy's chair and taking his own seat again.

"Jealous much?"

Freed raised an eyebrow at him before looking to his painting.

"That's good," Freed commented as he looked over Natsu's owl, "His face is contoured just perfectly. That body is very, _very_ nicely shaped…and those eyes…they're mesmerizing."

Natsu frowned, a little unnerved that Freed wasn't even _looking_ at his painting.

"Hey! What about Lucy's?" Natsu demanded as Freed began to walk away.

Freed turned, his face contorting in obvious distaste. Lucy's painting was…less than perfect. For one thing, it was entirely too dark, giving it an ominous feeling. Her feathers were thick, intertwined with thinner, squigglier feathers. The eye…was entirely too large. Freakishly large.

"There's no helping that," Freed stated flatly, turning on his heel to walk away.

The entire class gasped as suddenly Freed lost his balance, falling into a woman's painting head first. Freed righted himself, the nearby painters unable to contain their giggles as an imprint of the owl's face had transferred to Freed's skin, the eye on one of his cheeks. The woman screeched, grabbing at her painting as it began to fall off the easel. The woman beside her screeched because the eye on his cheek seriously looked like a third eye.

"You tripped me!" Freed snarled at Lucy.

Lucy's eyes went wide, "I didn't! I was sitting right here!"

Freed glared at her, her face going redder, "I am warning you, Lucy Heartfilia...I won't hesitate to kick you out."

Lucy reeled back, confused by his aggression. Finally, Freed called a 20-minute break while he sauntered off to the bathroom to try to remove some of the paint on his face before it dried.

* * *

In the shadows, Levy and Juvia were howling with laughter. Wendy's face was filled with wonder as she watched her mentors. _This_ was appropriate Angel behaviour?

"That was priceless, Juvia!" Levy cried out, wiping tears from her eyes, "The look on his face! Oh….my sides hurt."

"That was immensely satisfying," Erza agreed with a curt nod.

"I will defend Lucy against her love rival!" Juvia declared, shaking her fist towards the door Freed had gone through.

Jellal, Gray and Gajeel shook their heads, but none could contain the amused smiles on their faces.

* * *

Natsu had recovered his canvas with a red background, painting a green dragon instead of the proposed snow owl. Something about the way Freed had been complimenting his former painting unnerved him. There was no rule that he _had_ to paint what Freed told him to, so he'd started over.

When Freed crossed the room to check on progress, again completely overlooking Lucy's painting, he cried out like he'd been struck in the face.

" _Where_ is your beautiful painting?" he demanded, "Why would you opt to paint such a hideous beast instead?"

Natsu winked at Lucy as Freed moved off, making her giggle.

Now, Natsu studied her painting, noting the abnormally large eye. The nose was okay…and with a little blending, he thought the feathers could straighten too. The problem was the eye.

He wouldn't have worried about it, but it was causing Lucy obvious stress. She heaved several sighs, reapplying paint over and over again as she tried to rectify her blunders.

"It's hooped," Lucy sighed, throwing her brush onto the table, "I can't do it! I give up!"

For the most part, Natsu and Lucy had kept their hands to themselves over the past 10 minutes. Freed was keeping a very close eye on them…well, on Natsu anyway.

He glanced back at Freed. He was on the other side of the room. Now was as good a time as any.

"I can help you," he suggested, "If you're okay with that."

Lucy nodded and Natsu wasted no time switching paintings. Lucy watched as he took his brush, blending around the eyes to give the illusion of softer feathers around the wings. The eye became much smaller, but Natsu couldn't decide how to soften its' piercing gaze. No matter what he did, the owl appeared to stare directly at him. He shivered, then switched brushes, using the earlier-discussed technique of creating small, thin feathers above and around the eyes.

"Like eyelashes," Lucy murmured, completely engrossed in how he was moving the brush.

The painting began to transform, blooming into a nicely-sized eye. The painting as a whole, however, was still entirely too dark. All the snow owls around them were innocent looking, sweet birds. Lucy's looked…like it would probably eat someone given the chance.

Natsu glanced over his shoulder, realizing Freed was on his way back to their end of the room. He switched paintings quickly, making Lucy giggle when the paint brush in his hand slid across his cheek, leaving a blue streak.

"You think that's funny, do you?" he asked mischievously.

They both froze, Freed's hand landing on Natsu's shoulder, "Interesting dragon…I must say I'm sorry you covered up that shapely owl."

Natsu glanced at Lucy. Freed had wedged himself between them, his back to Lucy as he ran a finger down Natsu's arm. Natsu found it hard not to burst out laughing. The owl imprint hadn't been washed from Freed's face completely. The eye on his cheek was smudged, giving Freed a Picasso look.

He tried to see around him to point it out to Lucy, but Freed was definitely in the way.

"You're blocking my view," Natsu told him.

Freed looked confused, "Your painting is right in front of you."

"And my _girlfriend_ is on the other side of you!" Natsu raised his voice.

Freed scowled as he removed himself from between their chairs, stomping as he took his place at the front of the class again.

Lucy was frozen, her eyes wide in wonder.

"What a dink!" Natsu chuckled, shaking his head, "Seriously…the dude is weird."

He turned, noticing Lucy's stare.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, placing a concerned hand on her arm.

"You called me your girlfriend," she whispered.

He blushed, "I guess I haven't officially asked you, have I?"

She squeezed his hand, encouraging him with her eyes.

"So…" he drawled, "Do you wanna be?"

She nodded enthusiastically, clasping both his hands.

* * *

Juvia and Levy clapped their hands excitedly, both of them swooning over the Nalu moment happening right in front of them. Wendy shook her head at their behaviour, not completely sure what had happened that was so exciting.

"He's not very smooth," Gajeel commented.

"Like you could do better," Gray scoffed.

"I was the first to get the girl!" Gajeel grabbed a struggling Levy, wrapping her in his arms.

Gray laughed, "Juvia and I were together before I died! Technically, that makes our relationship longer!"

"You croaked – and she didn't croak for a long time after that! The time between doesn't count," Gajeel pointed out, "Levy and I knew in Crocus that we were going to end up together."

"Whatever man…" Gray waved him off, "But for the record, I had _Levy_ first too."

The Angels froze, Gray's eyes widening when he realized what he'd just said. Gajeel's face was heating up, turning red like a thermometer. Juvia's hands clasped over her own mouth.

"And all this time, I thought my love rival was Lucy!" Juvia whispered. She frowned, wondering where that thought had come from…Lucy had only _ever_ had eyes for Natsu.

"You and my Levy?" Gajeel roared, advancing on Gray with a fist raised.

"It was a long time ago!" Levy interjected, throwing her arms in front of Gray, "And nothing happened! It was a passing attraction! We're just really good friends!"

"LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia screamed, throwing herself at Levy.

Erza held a protective arm against Wendy, shielding her from the now-brawling Angels. Jellal stepped back as the boys hit the floor, rolling wildly with punching fists.

"We need to stop this!" Wendy exclaimed as she ducked out of the way of Juvia's fist.

"There's no need," Erza stated, eyeing the dessert table. There was a lovely piece of strawberry shortcake there with her name on it, "None of the humans know what's going on. Let them get their jollies out."

Juvia screeched as Levy dragged her backward by her hair.

"Come, Wendy…Jellal," Erza encouraged, "There's no harm in helping ourselves to the dessert table either."

Wendy's eyes threatened to bulge out of her head as Erza led her away, Jellal following her calmly without question.

* * *

"Is this where we kiss?" Lucy stared into Natsu's eyes, drawing closer to him.

Natsu shook his head, "No…not here…not now."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "You just asked me to be your girlfriend! Are you worried about Freed? He already hates us! What's he going to do – kick us out?"

"It's not just that," Natsu admitted after a long moment, "I'm sort of… _afraid_ to kiss you."

"Afraid?" she repeated.

"Yeah," he confirmed, squeezing her hand, "We don't exactly have the best track record for successful attempts."

Lucy laughed nervously, "So we'll just never kiss? Ever? Because you're afraid if we kiss something bad will happen? What happened to being determined that you'd get your kiss tonight?"

He chuckled with her. It _did_ seem a bit far-fetched. He knew damn well he wouldn't be able to resist her forever. Hell, he'd been hard-pressed to resist her over the past 3 days! Were it not for their unfortunate mishaps, he'd have kissed her the first chance he'd had.

"I don't think any attempt could top our first kiss anyway," Lucy said softly, remembering the heat between them, not even 20 minutes after meeting…and then the heat between them about a half hour ago.

He tilted his head, holding her gaze for a long moment, "I'd bet against that."

She could feel her ears get hot, desire flooding through her. She would bet against that too. Their next kiss was likely to set the room on fire. She wanted that…she really, really wanted that.

* * *

"You're overreacting!" Gray told Gajeel as he backed up along the wall.

Gajeel stalked toward him, his arms transforming into iron hammers.

"You're sure we shouldn't stop this?" Wendy asked Erza, her eyes wide with concern as Juvia and Levy rolled passed them, duking it out on the floor.

"Nah," Jellal waved a hand, "It's all good."

Erza had the plate of strawberry shortcake her in her hand, eyeing the delicious morsel as she lowered her fork to take the first scrumptious bite.

Gray ducked underneath of Gajeel's arm, bolting to try to get to the other side of Erza. Gajeel roared, firing an iron hammer projectile at Gray. He missed, his iron projectile knocking the plate from Erza's hands.

Both men froze...their mouths agape, the cake splattered all over the floor.

Levy and Juvia stopped struggling with each other, separating to protect their perspective boyfriends as Erza's eyes turned a dark, insidious red.

Jellal chuckled, "Now they've done it."

Wendy's face lost its colour as Erza stood up, steam pouring from her ears.

"Please don't let them kill each other," Wendy whispered, closing her eyes. She didn't want to see what was going to happen next.

Jellal patted her arm, leaving the safety of the side of the wall to stand in front of the fuming Erza. For everyone's sake, he would intervene.

"Stand down, Erza...I've got this."

He handed her a second piece of cake, quelling her temper for the moment...then turned to face the new recruits of Crime Sorciere.

* * *

"So if you believe our next kiss is going to surpass our first one," Lucy stated, pushing her body against his, "What's stopping you?"

Lucy could feel Natsu's hot breath on her neck. They were standing so close together, she swore she could feel his heart beating. Maybe it was her own. She didn't care. She traced his collarbone with a finger, sliding her arms around his neck slowly.

"I want to take my time with you," he told her as he slid his arms around her lower back. His words were opposite what his body was feeling. Her body heat was driving him insane, the contact sending tingles throughout his entire body, "I want it to be _right_. I don't want to blow what we have by moving too fast."

"What if it's my opinion that we're moving too slow?" she asked haughtily, brushing her lips over his cheek.

He sucked in a breath as she moved her lips overtop of his, pausing millimeters from actually touching him.

Natsu placed a single finger between them, preventing their lips from contacting.

She stared at him, not completely understanding as he pulled his face away.

"I mean it, Luce," he whispered, "I _want_ to kiss you. But I'm afraid. Every attempt since that first day has ended badly. We're having a really good night...but with Freed looming over us...let's just…wait. We have all the time in the world, right?"

The heat of the moment snuffed out immediately. She narrowed her eyes, folding her arms like a kid who'd just been told she couldn't have candy.

"Smile, Luce," he said quietly, "Please tell me you see where I'm coming from."

She dipped her paintbrush in white paint, holding it to her canvas, but didn't do anything with it.

Natsu was starting to second guess his good intentions. She looked so…angry.

"Please, Luce," he pleaded, "Try to understand…I really like you. I don't want to mess this up by moving too fast. Every attempt we've made so far has ended in disaster. I'm so afraid the next bad thing to happen will finish us…"

She sighed, closing her eyes as she contemplated his words.

The desperation on his face made him look like he was going to cry.

"That's stupid," she said monotonously, lifting her white tipped brush. She paused at the canvas, giving him a half-cocked smile.

Natsu didn't know how to react to that. He was trying to be a gentleman because he cared about her and wanted the relationship to work. Wasn't that what gentlemen did? Date their ladies properly?

"It's stupid," Lucy explained, "because it's all that bad stuff that has made me even more attracted to you."

She took her brush, drawing a thick line on his other cheek to match the blue one he'd attained earlier.

"I'm still here, Natsu," she said softly, dotting his nose with black paint.

She drew from his ears, encircling his eyes with round circles. The dot on the centre of his nose bridged his 'glasses'.

"I'm still here despite all the weird events that have happened to us since Day 1," she reiterated.

His mouth was wide open in shock. He really didn't know how to react.

"There's nothing conventional about us," she continued, "We didn't meet conventionally, our dates haven't been conventional…"

She used the black to paint a moustache overtop of his lips, suppressing her laughter so that she still looked serious to him.

" _We_ are not conventional, Natsu," Lucy paused, admiring her face painting. She did a better job on it than the painting she'd come to do in the first place, "And if I _wanted_ conventional, I wouldn't have fought so hard to get away from Dan."

Natsu was stunned, absorbing her words.

"So when you're ready to kiss me," she stated, placing a hand on his thigh, "Be unconventional and just go for it. Bad things might happen...but chances are, eventually we'll get it right."

Natsu was stunned, watching her with mesmerized eyes as she reached for some red paint.

"How long are you going to let me do this?" she asked, laughing as she aimed the red brush at his lips.

He caught her hand, locking eyes with her. She could feel the intensity coming off of him as he leaned in, hovering his lips over hers. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head…

…and got a palate full of paint right in her face.

He grinned wickedly as she screamed, bolting to her feet as the paint dripped down her apron. She staggered backward, pushing on the chair of the man behind her, knocking him forward.

"Oh, you're dead!" she shouted, ignoring the glare of the man behind her.

* * *

Whispers circulated throughout the room amidst laughter. Freed froze, knowing the most likely source. Freed stormed across the room, ready to intervene on behalf of whatever that blonde-haired witch was doing to that pink-haired god now.

Lucy had grabbed her palate, smashing it into Natsu's apron. He burst out laughing, finger painting her cheek as she struggled against him.

The entire class had stopped to stare, but when Natsu's elbow reared back, hitting the man next to them in the chin, suddenly everyone wanted to join in. It seemed Freed hadn't been the only one to watch the pair throughout the night. The man who'd gotten elbowed, smashed his palate into the face of the woman he was with, causing her to scream. She reared backward, bumping into the man behind her. When the man moved to stop her falling, the first man hit him for touching his wife. The entire room broke out into an enormous paint fight.

"Stop this!" Freed yelled, standing amongst the brawling painters. "Stop this immediately!"

It was too late. The entire room was oblivious to his cries as they pummeled each other, paint flying everywhere.

"Mavis, you're hot!" Natsu hissed to Lucy, rubbing a red streak down her hair.

"We can make it a game if you're that insistent that we'll never kiss," Lucy replied, putting a green handprint on Natsu's jeans, "I'll wear you down eventually."

He grabbed her, pulling her into his arms, "Consider me worn down."

Their lips crashed together, pulling each other into complete bliss. The chaotic brawl around them raged, but Natsu and Lucy were completely oblivious, drawn into their own world.

* * *

Erza and Wendy sat along the back wall, watching the brawl inside the tiny tavern. Wendy was in good spirits now that she had chocolate cake. Erza was downing her second piece of strawberry shortcake. They watched the human brawl…Natsu and Lucy kissing passionately right in the middle of it. Freed stood in the centre of the room, bawling his eyes out as his assistants rushed for the phone.

She forked a good-sized bite, feeding it to Jellal before kissing his lips tenderly.

"Thank you for your help," she said, running a hand down his face.

"I know you could've handled it," Jellal replied, "But I'd do anything to please you."

"That may have been excessive," Wendy sighed, glancing behind her.

Behind them, Gray, Gajeel, Juvia, and Levy were all bound and gagged with his Heavenly light magic…

"Nah," Erza dead-panned, looking at the spoiled piece of strawberry cake that still lay on the floor, "They deserved it."

* * *

"You know you're going to get razzed big-time tomorrow," Sting told Natsu as he pushed him to the police car. He couldn't cuff him since Natsu still required his crutches, but he had a firm hold on Natsu's shirt. Not that it was necessary.

"Don't care!" Natsu sing-songed as he cast a longing glance at Lucy, who _was_ cuffed.

When the police arrived to break apart the brawl, the patrons of Paint Nite had been quick to pinpoint Natsu and Lucy as the instigators...and Freed as the person who harassed them into such behaviour. The hosting bar was destroyed, covered in paint. Half the canvases had been splattered with globs of paint, ruining the evolving portraits. Freed bawled loudly as the bar owners demanded to know who was going to pay for damages.

"It's not every day we arrest our own officers for disturbing the peace and starting a brawl," Sting shook his head, laughing to himself.

"There was some pretty serious damage to the bar," Rogue agreed, "Although it kind of looks right now like the bar manager blames Freed for picking on Natsu and Lucy and he's going to get stuck with the bill."

"We have nothing to hold you on…" Sting added, "As soon as we get to the station, you're basically free to go."

Natsu and Lucy exchanged heated glances. That was fine with them.

Lucy was grinning ear-to-ear too as Rogue helped her toward the squad car. Both she and Natsu were covered head-to-toe in copious amounts of coloured acrylic paint.

"Hey, you got my painting, right Rogue?" Lucy asked casually.

He nodded, undoing her cuffs now that they were out of the public eye. He handed the painting to her once she was in the back seat, Sting handing Natsu his.

"It didn't turn out," Lucy sighed as she studied her owl. He was very dark, his eye gleaming, "This owl is seriously evil…like _demonic_ evil. He looks more like a Hell Owl than a snowy owl."

Natsu laughed, leaning over to get a better look and very purposely brushing her shoulder as he did so, "I dunno, Luce…I like it…it _speaks_ to me."

She laughed out loud, only to be silenced as he claimed her mouth passionately again.

" _So getting razzed_!" Rogue called back to them, snapping a picture to show the boys tomorrow, "It's against protocol to let prisoners make out in the back seat on their way to the station, by the way!"

Natsu barely heard him, completely immersed in the world of Lucy.

Sting sighed heavily, signaling so he could pull out onto the road.

"I think protocol is out the window on this one," he told Rogue, "They're not listening anyway."

* * *

 _ ***A/N: Just wanna say - I don't own Paint Nite and I adore it thoroughly! Every instructor I've ever had has always been professional and awesome!**_

 _ **The cover picture is the Hell Owl I painted in January. Seriously...the thing is not cute or fluffy. He's in my living room because I'm afraid if I put him in my bedroom, he will eat me. One time, my 14 -yr-old and his friends slept downstairs and I was awake all night...listening for the sounds of slaughter.**_

 _ **I also want to state that I have nothing against Freed. Honestly - he's a pretty cool character.**_

 _ **I hope you're enjoyed this little mini-series and that it's placated your need to fill in a bit of Natsu and Lucy's first dates after the events of Angel of Oops. I've already been asked for the lemon. If you remember, it took 2 weeks for Lucy to get Natsu into bed (lol).**_

 _ **Let's see what kind of reviews this mini series gets...then I'll think about it. I've also thought about adding to some of the one-shots from Nalu Week and/or adding Lucy's evening as a second chapter to Buck-A-Suck. As always, I appreciate comments!**_

 _ **Seeya next week for Angel of Oops: Angels of the Discerning Son! And Happy Anniversary, Angel of Oops!**_

 _ **~Shana~**_


	4. Incognito

_**A/N: SURPRISE! The 3-shot has become a 4-shot...maybe 5 or 6. lol. This chapter is dedicated to lishagirl...cuz you're cool...and I hope to hear that FlameDragonHime is feeling better! She's been dealing with a rotten cold!**_

* * *

Gajeel shushed the officers following him as they all began to tiptoe…into the apartment where Natsu Dragneel was likely still in bed. They'd already been to Wal Mart that morning, blowing up a picture of Natsu and Lucy sitting in the back seat of Sting's squad car, covered in paint. It was their intention to mount it on the wall without Natsu knowing…a little gift from his beloved friends at the police station.

They crept in quietly…or at least as quickly as 6 grown officers could creep. All of their belt buckles jiggled and they all wore steel toed boots…so really, they weren't creeping at all. They were just creepy.

Still, Natsu didn't move. His blanket were strewn overtop of him, his head buried under the pillow. Sting pulled out a nail, centering it on the wall. Gajeel pushed it in with his thumb, everyone cringing when the nail fell to the floor. Thankfully, it didn't make a noise. Gajeel managed this time, successfully pushing the nail in enough that the picture would hang from it. Droy passed Jet the canvased picture, who passed it to Macao, who passed it to Jet (wait, whaaaaat?), who passed it to Gildarts, who passed to Rogue, who passed it to Sting. They glanced at each other, then Sting placed the canvas on the nail, turning it slowly until Jet, who had backed up to the end of the room, nodded that it was indeed straight.

Rogue motioned to the door, indicating it was time to exit. The men didn't need another prompting – they would wait in the living room until Natsu woke up to guage his reaction, then freakin' RUN.

Jet was the last to leave, edging alongside the bed with careful precision. He sighed with relief as he neared the end of it. Natsu hadn't even moved. Jet tiptoed, hoping he'd stay asleep just a little longer…

Jet tripped on something, flinging into the air. He landed to the ground with a THUD, the offending object landing right in front of him.

Jet started to scream, the other officers racing back in.

"WHAT IN THE HELL IN THAT?" Jet screeched, scooting backward as far away from the object as possible.

"Mavis!" Droy screeched too as he caught sight of the gruesome item, "I'm not going in there! Jet! Buddy! Be brave!"

Rogue stepped around Droy, his riot baton ready for action. He raised it, ready to attack.

"Dude," Rogue dead-panned, lowering it when he saw the 'it' for himself, "That's Lucy's painting!"

He picked it up, holding it at arm's length. It was a snow owl with a big, piercing eye. Last night, Lucy had called it Hell Owl. He could easily see why.

"That thing is _evil!"_ Jet declared, scrambling past Rogue to head for the living room. The other men were laughing.

"Hey – should we check and see if Natsu is dead?" Droy asked, "He really shouldn't have slept through that."

Gildarts didn't hesitate, lifting a steel-toed boot to kick the blankets. The blankets flew to the other side of the bed...revealing an empty bed.

"I'll be damned," Gildarts stated, a wide grin crossing his face, "Natsu knew we'd be coming for him…little bastard is on the run."

Sting and Rogue were putting the 2nd painting up, cringing because once it was up, the evil vibe the owl gave off compounded.

"Are you sure we should leave that there?" Wakaba asked, "Don't think that thing will _eat_ Natsu when he's sleeping?"

The other officers stared at it, all of them giving off involuntary shivers.

"Good point," Gajeel agreed, taking it off the wall. He laid it on the floor, face down.

"So, do you think Natsu really gave us the slip, or do you think he's just not home yet?" Macao asked Gajeel.

Gajeel sniffed the air, "I escorted him home last night myself…and I can still smell him. My guess? He left early to avoid the teasing."

"Then I declare that Magnolia Police Department has one priority today," Sting announced, "Rogue, let's get to the radio in the squad car. Put out an APB for Natsu Dragneel and his red Cavalier. All personnel to consider him pissed and determined to get out of severe roasting…that makes him dangerous to the public. Macao – we need a tap on his cell phone. Jet – we need surveillance on the Heartfilia/McGarden apartment. My guess is he'll try to get to Lucy. Let's take 'im down, men!"

* * *

Natsu could hear that the house was quiet. He waited several minutes before exiting the closet. His cell phone would be no good today, so he left it behind in one of Gajeel's boxes. He would need another way to contact Lucy. Fortunately, this had been anticipated.

He pulled out the 2-way radio he'd 'borrowed' from the station last night after he and Lucy had been released from their temporary arrest.

"Star, this is Dragon…do you read?"

" _Loud and clear, Dragon…I'm en route to the rendezvous site. Solidarity confirmed."_

"Little Blue's still sawing logs?" Natsu asked.

" _Affirmative…see you in 15."_

"Be ready…it's going to be a drive-by pick-up. There's an APB out on my car."

" _But aren't you -?"_

"Yeah…but we can't take any chances."

Natsu grinned, grabbing his crutch (only one - lost the other one the other night) and making his way to the back door of Gajeel's house. From the window, it appeared that the other officers had actually all left the premises. He opened the door open a crack, peering outside just to be sure he was actually alone. He bolted, making his way across the lawn to where Gajeel's brand new Dodge Challenger sat in the driveway. Throwing his crutch in the back, he pulled the keys out of his pocket. His heart pounded as it roared to life. As much as he loved his Cavalier, Gajeel's car really did sound cooler.

He pressed the clutch in, cringing at the pain in his knee…but he had no time to contemplate that now. Throwing it into first gear, he pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

Lucy crawled through the bushes at the town square. She wasn't sure where she'd picked up such stealthy ninja skills, but she was kind of proud of herself. Even the passersby had no clue she was there.

Levy had a myriad of questions to throw her way when Lucy walked in the night before. Gajeel apparently had informed her of Lucy and Natsu's arrest. She didn't seem angry about it, but Lucy still didn't feel like she owed an explanation. Plus, she really wanted to help Natsu avoid the merciless teasing he'd endured over the past 3 days. And so, in the interest of a stress-free date and to avoid the teasing, they'd conspired to run away today.

She spotted the Mac's Gas Station ahead. Pulling her hoodie up, she darted across the road, concealing herself behind a mailbox as a squad car drove by. She held her breath for several minutes, sighing with relief when it turned off at the next corner.

Exactly on time, the black Challenger turned the corner, screeching to a halt beside the dumpster. She bolted from her hiding place, bailing through the open passenger window.

" _GO GO GO_!"

The tires squealed as the car lunged from the parking lot and headed for the highway.

"Okay – so we have the whole day now!" Lucy grinned as she righted herself in the passenger seat, "What are we going to do with it?"

"Gajeel's got a full tank of gas here," Natsu reached over, squeezing her knee, "And they're not looking for Gajeel's car…yet."

"How long do you think it'll be before he notices?" Lucy asked, admiring his pink hair, flailing in the breeze coming in the open window.

Natsu shrugged, "He's working all day today. He's probably not off til 6:00…so I'd say as long as they don't find the Cavalier, we've got all day."

"Where'd you stash it?"

Natsu's eyes got dark, "Somewhere Gajeel will never think to look."

Lucy laughed at his sinister expression.

"Where?" she prodded.

"I lent it to Vijeeter for the day," Natsu replied with a devious grin, "His car is in the shop and he asked me for a ride to do errands. I told him to just borrow the car."

Lucy laughed again, "You're _evil_ , Natsu."

Natsu shrugged, "Naturally."

"Maybe we should get out of town for awhile?" Lucy suggested, "We could go to Onibus and be back in four hours."

Lucy opened the glove compartment, helping herself to the mints Gajeel kept there.

Natsu grinned, reaching for Gajeel's sunglasses that he kept in a compartment above his head, "Sounds good to me."

* * *

"CAW CAW!"

"CAW CAW!"

"What are you idiots doing?" Gajeel demanded, staring at the tree where Jet was perched on a low branch - maybe 3 feet off the ground.

Jet's hands were perched to act as a loudspeaker, aimed at the tree on the other side of the apartment building. Briefly, Gajeel saw the glint of glass coming from the other tree.

"It's our signal," Jet explained, "It means that there's no movement in the apartment."

"Idiots," Gajeel muttered, stalking off toward the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Jet yelled after him.

"I'm going to knock on the door!" Gajeel grunted, "Seems a lot more efficient than squawking like birds!"

He pulled out the key Levy gave him for the front door and took the stairs 2 at a time. Reaching the top, he peered around the corner, noting that the apartment was still. He was about to pull out the key for the apartment when he felt the heavy impact of two bodies colliding into his back.

The glare he sent backward at both Jet and Droy made them shudder with fear.

He turned the key as silently as he could, allowing himself, Jet and Droy into the apartment.

"Stay here," Gajeel warned, his finger waving in their faces. Jet and Droy both nodded firmly.

Gajeel tiptoed down the hallway, making no noise as he pushed Lucy's door open. As expected, the bed was empty. Plue looked up from his place on the bed, cocking his head curiously. Happy jumped down, mewing.

Gajeel let out a satisfied grunt. Lucy wasn't in the apartment, or Plue and Happy would likely point out where she was hiding. Animals had a knack for pointing out hiding people.

He spun on his heel, about to tell Jet and Droy his news when he heard the screams coming from Levy's room.

Jet had Levy down on the floor, one knee on her back. Droy was removing his handcuffs from his belt.

"Where's the perpetrator!?" Jet demanded.

Levy let out a blood curling scream, throwing an uppercut into Droy's groin. He squealed, then keeled over.

" _WHAT ARE YOU DOING_?" Gajeel thundered.

"Interrogating a potential witness, Sir!" Jet stated, as though it were obvious.

Gajeel grabbed Jet by his shirt collar, flinging him onto the bed. Droy was rolling on the floor in horrible pain.

Gajeel bent down beside Levy, helping her to her feet.

"What in the _hell_ is going on here?" Levy spat out, unwrinkling her pajama top, "What _perpetrator_?"

Gajeel hummed apologetically, "We're looking for Lucy and Natsu. They're both missing."

"Missing?" Levy mocked, "Gajeel, it's 8:00 in the morning! They can't be _missing. Missing_ from what?"

"Our interrogation," Gajeel admitted, staring down at his feet.

Levy's mouth dropped open, "Interrogation for _what?_ "

"We need to tease them about getting arrested last night!" Droy filled in, a big grin on his face as he finally managed to pick himself up from the floor.

Jet face-palmed. Gajeel turned bright red. Levy would not be happy with that answer. Instinctively (or perhaps more likely because he caught the look in Levy's eye), Droy covered his groin as he backed toward the door.

Sure enough, Levy was seething.

"Does the Magnolia Police Department have nothing better to do than torment them?!" Levy demanded, "Honestly? If I were them, I'd be hiding too! The way you're treating them is _shameful!"_

All 3 men hung their heads. Gajeel dared to look her in the eyes, trying to ask silently if there were Angels following them, but if looks could kill, he'd be as dead as Droy and Jet right now.

"Get out of my apartment..." Levy hissed, "...and if I find out you've teased them in _any way_ , you'll be dealing with _me_."

Jet and Droy stalked out immediately, Droy limping slightly, but Levy grabbed Gajeel's arm, waiting until she heard the click of the front door.

"Leave them alone," Levy told him a condescending finger in his face, "Fun is fun, but it's going a bit far. I will cut you off eternally, Gajeel...Not kidding."

"Okay, Shrimp," Gajeel promised, leaning in to kiss her. He changed his mind. The look in her eyes said he'd been lucky if she allowed him to kiss her in the next _week._

* * *

Lucy's feet were kicked up on the dashboard. She had found Levy's sunglasses in the glove compartment along with a package of Hubba Bubba. She blew an enormous bubble, making Natsu crack up when it burst all over her face.

She grinned as she picked the gooey substance off her face, "Tunes!"

"Damn straight!" Natsu agreed, hitting the button on the dash.

As the song started playing, both of their eyes went wide.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Natsu started cackling, "Who would have thought _Gajeel_ is a Disney fan?"

"Shut up!" Lucy grinned, "The singing part is coming up!"

" _Okay_ ," Natsu lip-synced, " _Can I just, say something crazy_?"

Lucy shot up in her seat, her eyes expressively wide, " _I love crazy!"_

Natsu lowered his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose, adding his voice to the CD _, "All my life has been a series of doors in my face. And then suddenly I bump into you."_

 _"_ Watch the road!" Lucy yelled, " _I was thinking the same thing! 'Cause like...I've been searching my whole life to find my own place. And maybe it's the fact that we stole Gajeel's car and are on the run too."_

" _But with youuuuuuuu_ ," Natsu sang.

" _Oh with youuuuuuu_ ," Lucy echoed.

" _I found my place,"_ they sang together, " _I see your face. And it's nothing like I've ever known beforeeeee. Gajeel's gonna kick our asses for suuuuure!"_

 _"Cuz we stole Gajeel's caaaaarrrrrr,"_ Lucy echoed.

" _And now we're driving it faarrrrrrr!"_ Natsu chimed in.

They exchanged glances, keeling over laughing. Natsu righted himself, focusing on the road ahead of him as Lucy reached for the CD box. Time for a new CD.

* * *

Yukino shook her head as she watched Rogue and Sting, their heads together as they planned out their search for Natsu and Lucy.

"Sting!" Yukino interrupted, "Mrs. Berns called - she's still convinced she has a peeping tom. Think you could tear yourself away from ruining Natsu's love life long enough to go check it out?"

"Send Gildarts!" Sting groaned.

"STING!" Yukino snapped, "I realize we're between crime sprees in Magnolia...but seriously! Get a damned life!"

Rogue chuckled, "We're going, Yuki. Even though we've already explained to her that her peeping tom is the neighbour's scarecrow...twice."

Rogue and Sting lumbered from the station together to the parking lot.

"We're just having fun," Sting pouted.

Rogue chuckled, "Dating her hasn't made her any less cop. She's as married to her work as you are. She's not used to seeing you goof off."

"Shut up, Rogue," Sting grumbled, heading for the drivers' side.

They pulled out of the parking lot, signaling to turn left when Rogue's mouth dropped open, pointing to the unmistakable red Cavalier that was crossing two lanes to turn left at the intersection.

Sting grinned, turning the squad car lights on.

"Sting! Yukino will be pissed if you chase that car," Rogue warned.

"Don't care," Sting replied, "He just crossed 2 lanes of traffic...that makes going after him legit."

Rogue laughed, "Whatever you say boss."

He reached for the radio to call the all-car pursuit.

* * *

" _But I would walk 500 miles...and I would walk 500 more..."_

Both Natsu and Lucy were headbanging to the chorus, killing themselves laughing because Lucy had tons of hair to throw around, and it turned out Natsu did too. His bangs covered his entire face when he moved like that. Every couple seconds, Natsu peeked up through his bangs to watch the road. The music was on full blast, the windows wide open.

" _Just to BE the man that walks 1,000 miles..."_

"Hey Luce?" Natsu asked. He slowed the car down so they could enter the City Limits at the predisposed limit, "What should we do first?"

She rolled her eyes, "Like you don't know! I know damned well that you're hungry!"

He grinned ear-to-ear, "Have I mentioned I think I've fallen in love you at first sight?"

"Not as much as you're going to love me now," she stated, pointing off to the side of the road, "Mexican Food, Natsu...all you can eat buffet."

Natsu veered the car off the road, screeching to a halt. He undid his seatbelt, sliding over the centre console so that he sat in the passenger seat with her, then kissed her mouth firmly.

"I swear I'm going to marry you one day," he whispered between hot kisses, "Mavis, you are _so hot!"_

Lucy giggled, opening the door, killing herself laughing at Natsu almost fell to the ground.

"You can marry me in an hour. It's lunchtime - the buffet will be really fresh now!"

Natsu grinned. She thought he was teasing...but he meant it. He was seriously going to marry her someday.

* * *

Vijeeter's eyes bulged from his head. It had just dawned on him why Natsu had been so accommodating in lending him his vehicle.

Three police cars followed the bright red Cavalier down the street, their lights and sirens blaring. Being that Vijeeter had assumed they were chasing the car ahead of him, he'd moved into the right lane to let them pass. He'd even slowed down to 30 km/hr (18.64 for my American friends)...and yet none of the squad cars had backed off...neither had they passed him.

So basically, Vijeeter was now the subject of a slow-speed chase through the streets of Magnolia.

He knew he couldn't pull aside on this street. There wasn't a proper shoulder. Also, it was painfully obvious Vijeeter was the victim of an elaborate prank by the rookie. He was aware of all the teasing Natsu had taken throughout the past week. Alas, when all was said and done, Vijeeter felt kind of sorry for Natsu and Lucy. Not only had Natsu taken a lot of flack for his new relationship with Lucy, but just last week, he'd also been teased for his driving skills, his lack of poker skills, and his inability to show up at work on time.

"You owe me one, kid," Vijeeter told Natsu...or more like Natsu's car.

It was obvious that the cops had no intention of aggressively stopping his vehicle...they just wanted information and were reasonably sure that 'Natsu' would eventually grow tired of having squad cars with lights following him, give in, and tell them what they wanted to know, then endure hours of torturous ribbing.

Vijeeter grinned to himself, then headed for the highway. He wondered if they'd aggressively force him off the road if he stayed at 30 km/hr on the highway. The thought was incredibly amusing.

* * *

Juvia and Erza shook their heads as Levy finished her story about her rude awakening that morning.

"Gajeel needs his little sister to kick his ass, apparently!" Juvia seethed, cracking her knuckles.

"I don't know what the big deal is," Gray protested, "They're just having fun with him. Natsu knows that. It's like a game now."

"The _big deal_ ," Levy spat out, "is that we've all worked really hard to get them together. We don't need Natsu and Lucy to call it quits because the Dork Squadron of the Magnolia Police Department can't leave them the hell alone!"

Juvia giggled to herself, "You just called your own boyfriend a dork."

Levy joined her in giggling, "No, I called _your brother_ a dork...and you did it first! Well, I mean they're all dorks...Sting and Rogue and Jet and Droy and all them too."

"Can you imagine Gildarts' reaction to being called a dork?" Erza asked flatly, the corners of her mouth turning upward.

Gray's shook his head. They'd completely lost sight of the conversation. He decided to go find Gajeel on his own. He was curious now about what the boys at the precinct were up to.

* * *

"I've never been kicked out of an All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet before for eating too much!" Lucy laughed.

"It was good," Natsu said solemnly, "They shouldn't call it an All-You-Can-Eat if they're just going to cut you off at 7 plates. They should really call it a 'Maximum 6 plates Buffet'."

Lucy looked up and down the street, "Well, we don't have to go back to Magnolia yet...what do you suggest we do?"

"Window shop?" Natsu suggested.

"Can you handle walking around?" she asked, gesturing to his leg.

Natsu would never admit the his knee hurt to her. He'd babied it for 3 days already, but was already down to 1 crutch, due to losing the other one in the ocean a few days ago. This morning, he'd actually taken a few steps. Likely, he probably shouldn't have been driving standard, but he was feeling better by the day.

"You need to get off that knee," she smiled sympathetically, "It's okay to tell me the truth, you know."

His cheeks blushed, "I walked a few steps this morning."

She shook her head, shaking a scolding finger at him, "Didn't the doctor say a week?"

He nodded, glancing across the street, "There's a park there. We can go sit for a few minutes."

She smiled, going ahead to the edge of the road to scan for a safe crossing time.

"Okay! Let's go!" Lucy yelled.

She grabbed Natsu's sleeve, ushering him across the road. He crutched fast, trying to stay ahead of the traffic that was beginning to close in on them. Suddenly, Natsu stumbled, grabbing her sleeve.

"What is it?" she asked, alarmed as a semi-truck honked at them.

"I'm stuck!" he yelled.

Lucy lowered to her knees, realizing he'd caught his crutch in a pot hole. The crutch was bent in such a way that it wasn't going to come out without help.

"Give me the crutch!" she told him.

He shifted it to her, noting that there was now a line up of vehicles on both side, waiting for them to get off the road. Hurriedly, she maneuvered the crutch, freeing it.

"Okay, let's go!" Lucy turned, ramming into Natsu's side.

He staggered, falling onto his bad knee when he lost his balance. Lucy watched in horror as he hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" she cried out.

The traffic around them honked.

"GET OFF THE ROAD!" the man in the semi yelled.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Lucy shouted back, "CAN'T YOU SEE HE'S IN TROUBLE HERE, JACKASS?"

Natsu grinned, loving how forceful she was.

"C'mon," she reached underneath his armpit, hoisting him onto her shoulder in place of the crutch.

The semi-driver fingered them as he began to move down the road. Lucy fingered him back, turning immediately to Natsu...who was now crutchless.

"It splintered," she told him, turning the crutch so he could see the damage done to it.

"Oh," he whispered, "Crap."

"Don't worry!" she vowed, "We'll be fine! How's your knee?"

She sighed, realizing there was blood coming from it.

"We're a menace together, aren't we?" Lucy reached into her purse, pulling out some wipes. His jeans were torn again.

"Would like me to take my pants off?" he teased, drawing her in for a kiss.

"Anytime you want," she teased back,

He grinned, "At least no one's here to tease us."

"Hmm...but we can always tease each other!" she shot him a seductive look, then stood up, determination glinting in her eyes, "I'm going to find transportation back to the car!"

"I can walk a little bit!" he protected.

"It's all good!" Lucy grinned, the glint in her eye brightening as she B-lined for an abandoned shopping cart.

"You're kidding, right?" Natsu called after her.

She grabbed the cart, pushing it over to Natsu.

"You're not kidding," he hummed, "All right then, Luce! Bring it on!"

* * *

Vijeeter had classical music on Natsu's ancient car's CD player. He hummed with the deep base, moving his fingers like he was conducting the orchestra himself. He cued the trumpets to begin their part with his finger on the left, then the woodwinds with his other finger on the right.

The music was loud, now drowning out the sirens of the 13 police squad cars still following him down the highway, still at 30 km/hr.

* * *

"They still haven't found them," Juvia said to Levy as she joined her at the top of the police precinct, "But according to Yukino's radio, there's a low-speed chase on the highway that almost every squad car has responded to."

Levy giggled, "I think they're on the right track. Something tells me Natsu and Lucy aren't in Magnolia at all. Not that I blame them. They've barely managed an un-teasable moment since the second they've met. I'd want to find a place to be alone too."

* * *

"You know this is stupid, right?" Gray asked Gajeel.

He was sitting in the back of Gajeel's car, throwing insults and commentaries at the back of Gajeel's head because he _knew_ Gajeel couldn't respond to him with Gildarts on the passenger side of the front seat.

"That's not Natsu driving," Gray continued, spreading both arms across the back seat, "I've never seen him do _under_ the speed limit before."

Gajeel growled, making the corners of Gray's mouth turn upward.

"I would definitely say you've been _poned!"_ Gray added, leaning forward and placing his hand on Gajeel's shoulder, "Natsu wins this round...for sure. Sucks to be you."

"WOULD YOU JUST FUCK OFF?" Gajeel roared, elbowing back on the seat, slamming his arm against the back of the seat. Inadvertently, he whacked Gildarts on the shoulder, eliciting a glare from the older man.

Gray retreated his hand, killing himself laughing as Gildarts' raised his eyebrows. It was never a good idea to tell Gildarts to fuck off, let alone hit him.

* * *

"This is embarrassing," Natsu muttered as Lucy pushed him in the cart through the dollar store. There was a super-sale that day - mass amounts of stock being sold at case-lot blowout prices. Natsu hadn't wanted to enter, but Lucy had insisted. She loved case-lot sales. One never knows when a good deal comes along! Natsu was not nearly as excited as she was. Guaranteed, there wouldn't be a single item there that _he'd_ be interested in.

"It's fine," Lucy assured, "Look - you're not the only one riding by cart."

Natsu frowned as a mother pushed by them, her 2-year-old crying his head off.

Lucy bent down, kissing his forehead, then his lips, "You're adorable...you know that, right?"

Natsu pouted.

"It's not so bad," she promised him, "We're together...we're having fun...and there's nobody to tease us."

Natsu sighed before nodding his agreement, "That's true. I do love being with you, Luce. I _am_ enjoying today...just being alone with you."

She smiled, kissing his lips again before pushing on through the dollar store.

As she rounded the corner, Natsu's eyes grew wide when he saw it. Lucy froze, noting the dazed expression in his eyes.

"Natsu?" she questioned nervously.

It was as though the entire wall in front of them had illuminated. Natsu's eyes glazed over as he glanced back at Lucy.

"Lucy - we need those. Very badly. The entire fucking wall."

"Yes..." Lucy said quietly, catching onto Natsu's plan, "Yes, we do."

* * *

Gajeel sighed heavily as Sting looked at hissing engine of the squad car, shaking his head.

"Sorry!" Gildarts laughed, a hand running through his hair, "I don't know my own strength. I assumed Iron-Butt here could keep the vehicle straight when I punched him."

"Instead, you ran the car off the road into a telephone pole," Rogue lamented.

Gray was on the hood of the hissing car, killing himself laughing.

The slow-speed chase had come to an end. Even Vijeeter had pulled over when Gajeel's car slid into the ditch, smashing into the telephone pole at 30 km/hr.

* * *

Lucy and Natsu were now in a conundrum. The back seat of the Challenger was filled with boxes of their purchase and it was almost time to head back to Magnolia..but Natsu wouldn't be able to drive with his jarred knee.

"You'll have to drive," Natsu decided, giving an affirmative nod.

"ME?" Lucy exclaimed, "I don't have a license!"

"Neither do I until Tuesday," Natsu reminded her with a gleam in his eye, "We'll just go get you your Learner's! No big deal."

"Natsu...the last time I drove Gajeel's car..."

Natsu grinned at her, "You wrapped it around a tree running from Dan. I know. Gajeel never shuts up about it. But it'll be fine. I'm an excellent teacher!"

Lucy gulped nervously as Natsu googled the DMV location in Crocus. He jumped back into the shopping cart, pointing down the road, "That way, my good lady!"

Lucy clicked the locks on Gajeel's car - to protect their precious purchases - then began to push Natsu down the street.

* * *

"I swear I don't know where they are!" Vijeeter repeated, spinning around in a pirouette.

"Dude," Gildarts narrowed his eyes at Vijeeter, shaking his head disapprovingly, "Why do you always dance when you're nervous? It's _weird_ , man...not normal."

Vijeeter glared at him, leaping gracefully away from him to the group of officers gossiping about 30 feet away.

The other cops were all seated at the edge of the road, contemplating their next move. Yukino was chewing out Rogue on the radio for picking on the rookie.

Sting rolled his eyes, "We _always_ haze the rookies."

Rogue hummed to himself, remembering that had only really started after he and Sting had risen through the ranks. Yukino continued to scream through the radio, but nobody was listening to her now.

"Besides," Gajeel grunted, "The kid has a good sense of humour. He takes it well."

"Okay..." Rogue stated, noting the line of 13 squad cars still parked on the side of the highway...who was looking after Magnolia anyway? "We know Natsu's not around town. He's not at his house and he's not at Lucy's. He's on foot because he gave his car to Vijeeter."

"Unless..." Gildarts cut in, his eyes widening.

"Unless what?" Droy asked.

"Unless he had access to another car!" Gildarts finished his thought, exchanging amused glances with the other officers.

Gray chuckled to himself. Natsu _did_ take things well. But if Natsu had done what Gray _thought_ Natsu had done...they were about to find out if Gajeel took things well too.

"No way!" Gajeel thundered, stomping up to his squad car angrily, "He wouldn't! There's no fucking way!"

* * *

Lucy lurched the car forward, despite Natsu's repeated yells of, "SLOWLY OFF THE CLUTCH! SLOWLY OFF THE CLUTCH!"

She blushed, jerking the car to a stop, then frowned, noting Natsu's white knuckles as he gripped the "oh shit" handle on the passenger door.

"It's not that bad," Natsu deadpanned, "My knee is fine...I can drive."

She cocked her head, noting the angry bruising that had resurfaced just below the bottom of his shorts.

"Are you sure you don't want to go find a Walk-In Clinic? Maybe we should have it checked out?"

"It's fine!" he insisted.

"Okay then," she challenged, "Walk around the car to the driver's side and I'll allow you to drive home."

His face paled, his fingers clenching the seat.

"That's what I thought," she beamed, pushing the clutch in so she could restart the car, "So...home now?"

Natsu couldn't answer. Lucy shot him a smile, reminding him of why he was so attracted to her, then re-lurched the car toward home.

* * *

It was dark out now...7:00 pm. Magnolia was eerily quiet. Lucy turned off the lights well-before they approached, screeching the car to a stop down the block on the street. They made sure to hide it close to some bushes so it wasn't fully visible to the house.

"The house is dark," Natsu noted.

They were crawling on their hands and knees along the ground...well, Lucy was. Natsu was more or less dragging himself. Either way, they were both very stealth ninjas.

"Don't be fooled," Lucy gestured toward the trees around Gajeel's parking spot, "They're lying in wait."

Natsu hummed to himself, "I could just slip in the door and go to bed. They'd be none-the-wiser."

"Or we could just go back to my house," Lucy suggested, "I'm sure Levy will hide us."

"I suspect if my house is staked out, so is yours," Natsu sighed, "Plus, I'm not sure I can walk that far. And we're seriously risking getting caught if we try to drive Gajeel's car there."

Lucy nodded, "Okay...we need a solid plan then. Where are we going tonight?"

Natsu chuckled, "I don't know, but wouldn't it be cool if we could somehow slip the car back to its' parking spot without any of the cops noticing? Gajeel's gonna be so pissed! _I can't wait_!"

Lucy found his mischievous look insanely sexy. She ran a finger down his arm, "So...you wanna make out while we're waiting for a chance to get it there?"

"Hell ya!" Natsu exclaimed, lunging for her.

* * *

Levy, Juvia, and Erza crept through the bushes, counting the police officers in the trees.

"Lucy is right," Juvia told the other two girls, "They're not gonna move and bets are they've got your place surrounded too, Lev."

"What they need is a distraction," Erza decided, "One that would force all officers to abandon their posts and respond."

"I've got this covered," Gray said from behind them. He pulled out his cell phone, dialing in to the police station. He turned, winking at Juvia as he walked down the street to have his conversation with the dispatcher.

Merely moments after he returned, low banter was heard from the trees above Gajeel's parking spot, even though it was all the way down the street.

"Traitors!" Gajeel hissed.

The men started jumping from the trees, one by one. Droy broke his branch, landing with a thud.

"So much for being quiet!" Sting hissed at him.

"I'm _sorry!"_ Droy hissed back, "Ain't my fault that tree is so flimsy!"

"That's a fucking oak!" Gildarts grunted, "Branches don't get stronger than that!"

"Enough!" Rogue chastised them, "We have to go. The fire department will already be on their way. They'll get all the good parking - and it's only free for an hour!"

Gajeel hummed and hawed to himself before finally jumping down from his perch, begrudgingly following his comrades to the squad cars.

Lucy and Natsu turned their heads from their miniature make-out session, their ears perking as the vehicles pulled away.

"Well, that's convenient!" Lucy exclaimed.

They got off the ground, B-lining for the car.

"Got our surprise ready!" Natsu announced as they left the car exactly where they'd found it that morning. The gas tank was empty and their surprise was all over the entire cockpit of the vehicle, stuffing it to the brim. He chuckled into his hands again, "Gajeel is going to be _so pissed! I can't wait!"_

Lucy threw her shoulder under Natsu's arm, "C'mon - let's get home. Maybe Levy will hide us for the night."

Natsu nodded, limping off with Lucy's support toward a very conveniently abandoned shopping cart on the edge of the property.

* * *

"That was formidable work, Gray," Erza asked, slapping Gray's shoulder, "What did you tell the dispatch?"

Gray grinned, "Simple...I mentioned that Tim Horton's was giving away free coffee and donuts for the next hour - emergency personnel only."

Levy laughed out loud, "Brilliant! I'd better get home to sneak Natsu and Lucy in."

"We'll come with you," Juvia agreed, "Gajeel is not likely to take their 'surprise' well, judging by what I can see through the window of that car."

The Angels nodded, clenching their fists. They'd have their hands full protecting Natsu and Lucy tonight once Gajeel and the officers caught sight of the cockpit of Gajeel's car...and the locker room and the lunchroom at the police station. The car was filled to the brim with rubber chickens, some even falling out of the window. But what would really clench the deal was the cardboard sign placed on the windshield...a warning for all the cops...one that would send chills to their very bones.

.

.

.

" _We're telling Levy_."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks again to Wordsaremyspells1331 and Otakuprincess28 for reading it through.**_

 _ **Tim Horton's, in case you didn't know, is Canada's primary coffee shop. Proud Canadian here! Just in case you didn't know.**_

 _ **Seeya next time.**_

 _ **Please remember to comment :D**_


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